Tales of Hot, Talented Jews
by The Fluff Queen
Summary: My Puckleberry collection. It includes fills to the PuckRachel drabble meme over LJ. #26: We used to be best buddies, but now we're not. I wish you'd tell me why. (Late birthday gift for gleek06216).
1. Ice Cream

**Author's Note: **Hi, everyone! I finally realized a wish of mine and filled a prompt on the PuckRachel Drabble Meme on LiveJournal. This is set after _Bad Reputation_ although there's no direct mention to anything that happened there. Hope you guys enjoy! This goes especially to Ash (gleek06216), who's an amazing writer and so much like me it's scary LOL. Hope you like this, girl.

By sara345's prompt was:

_"Strawberries, icecream, whipped cream and chocolate sauce? I'll go get some bowls"_

_"Oh, we won't be needing bowls Noah"_

**Disclaimer: **I'd call EJ, GoingVintage, Ash, smc_27 and cheapen to write Glee if I owned it.

**Ice Cream**

**A**fter they leave school for the day, she snuggles against him once they're inside his truck, and asks him to (more like seduces him into, the way she's pressing against his side, and breathing softly against his ear in a way that leaves goosebumps against his skin) stop by the grocery store – there are some things she wants to buy to 'give their weekend a proper and adequate start'. He looks curiously at her and she looks at him, all pleading and childlike, that he has no choice but to nod.

(God, he's so whipped).

Once he parks next to the nearest grocery store on their way to her home, she's out his truck before he even manages to turn the ignition off. So he yells after her, "Yo, babe, wait up!" But then she turns and smirks (it's adorable and sexy as fuck).

"I won't be long, Noah, can you please wait in the car?" He looks at her and then ponders, before nodding and cranking the hot air up. He goes through his CDs on the car, and chooses his Blink 182 greatest hits one. He turns up the volume, leans back and closes his eyes. Fifteen minutes later (he guesses – it's playing 'Josie'), she returns, with only one brown paper bag on her arms and a smile on her lips. He smiles back and turns the car on.

"Ready to go, princess?" There's a glimmer in her eyes that makes him shiver, and she nods. "Your parents home?"

"No, they left for a weekend getaway this morning. I was wondering…" She grins and bites her lower lip. "Maybe you want to stay the night?"

He smirks and places a sloppy, wet kiss on her cheek. "Babe, you know I do. What's in the bag?"

She smiles all secretively and winks at him. "That's for me to be aware of and for you to find out".

Ten minutes later, he stops the truck behind her dark silver Prius on her driveway and, after they enter her house, he goes to the living room to give his mom the heads-up that he'll sticking to the Berry's for the night, and to remind her to pick Nina up the next morning on her friend's house. He takes more or less a minute to do it ("Sleeping at Rach tonight. Pick the brat tomorrow at her girl's house"), but when he gets to the kitchen, where she is, he sees her flitting around the kitchen, wearing nothing but one of his jerseys and a tiny pair of red-pink shorts. He has the hottest girlfriend ever.

"Looking good, babe", he says, pressing a kiss to her lips before looking over the island. "Strawberries, ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate sauce?" He looks at her with a surprised expression on his face (because she's all against dairy, c'mon). "Nice, babe. Good to see I've corrupted you. I'll go get some bowls"

The sexy little smirk is back on her lips when she slides her hands under his shirt, stands on the tips of her toes and whispers softly against his ear, "Oh, we won't be needing bowls, Noah".

She's coming on his tongue fifteen minutes later. Over the kitchen counter.


	2. No Talent for Second Choice

**Author's Note: **I was supposed to be studying or writing something else instead of fanfiction. But I was browsing the Puckleberry Drabble Meme and I commented on Sheena's prompt ("I'm not a fucking second choice"), mentioning how I envisioned it happening. She then told me to write it. Here's the result. Blame her LOL

Sheena is also known as smc_27 and she is **amazing**! She's one of the best Puckleberry writers ever and I'm a big fan of her stories!

**Disclaimer: **Characters are Ryan Murphy's, prompt is Sheena's.

**No Talent For Second Place**

_A Puckleberry Drabble Meme prompt fill_

_By Unsuspecting Sunday Afternoon/PR is the best._

**R**achel always says happiness is something that bothers those who are unhappy with their lives but unwilling to change it. At first, he doesn't believe it – it makes no fucking sense at all, like half the things that come out of his girlfriend's hot, talented mouth, so everytime she says it, he rolls his eyes, says "Whatever, babe" and changes subject.

(It'll creep the fuck out of his ass when she's proven right about this too).

Leave it to Finn and Quinn to try and fuck it all (no surprise there considering those two are **never **happy with the choices they make in life. But you can't fucking have your pop tart and eat it too). Finn and Rachel are broken up since he tried to meddle with their glee duet-assignment to favor Sam – she, of course, refused vehemently to do so and sent him packing when he insisted to do it on his own. Puck made his move onto the Land of Berry a couple of weeks later.

Four months down the road and counting, once again Rachel Berry is the woman to put Noah Puckerman, Lima's resident badass stud, on a committed relationship. (Of course, it doesn't sit well with Saint Frankenteen and the female population of Lima except for Anne and Nina Puckerman, his mom and sister, who adore Rachel).

Quinn however is the most pissed girl of the bunch – surprisingly, Santana is actually very supportive of Puckleberry, as are all the gleeks, to Finn's surprise (Puck thinks San is just being on the wagon to step on Quinn's toes thanks to the whole boobjob-gate). She tries to flirt up a storm with him every time they're on each other's earshot, bats her eyelashes, smiles coyly and all that shit that Rachel doesn't do, and those things, in Quinn? They sure as shit annoy the hell out of him.

Finn is no better. Apparently, him crushing on Rachel for fuck knows how long, in his dimwitted mind, some sort of claim on glee's resident diva master, because he glares at Puck and stares pleadingly and longingly at Rachel, who diplomatically and pointedly ignores him (but seethes at Quinn every single time she sees the blonde). It doesn't help matters that Mr. Schue is apparently high on Puck and Rachel's hot Jew chemistry and keeps giving the couple more and more leads together.

(Puck can't help but feel relieved because he doesn't want Finn to have eyesex with his girl, no matter who has **real** sex with her).

It's getting to the point where the former couple is starting to get desperate. Puck stops drinking at parties on fear that Quinn will drink him silly and kiss him in front of Rachel just to make them break up. Rachel considers changing all her personal contacts and begging her fathers to switch house phone number just to force Finn stop harassing her.

(She does change her cell phone number and e-mail. Only he, Santana and Brittany have the new ones – Brittany on strict orders from both Santana and Rachel, and a bribe from him, to not give them to Finn or anyone else).

It's the last class before the end of the day, and Puck nearly groans when he sees a blur of red, white and light golden come his way. Slamming his locker close, he nods at Quinn, who smiles flirtatiously and invites him to study at her house later that night.

(She giggles when she says it. Study, his balls. It's Friday night and – she says it very pointedly – her mom is going out with her aunt and uncle and won't be back until "very, very late, Puck. If you know what I mean". She winks and rubs her hand against his arm).

He tells her thanks, but no, thanks, and her eyes harden (because, he knows, she's Quinn fucking Fabray and he was supposed to be on his knees thanking the Lord for having a second chance with her after fucking it up last year). "C'mon, Puck, it's been four months. You know it won't last much longer".

He clenches his hands into fists and takes a deep breath, trying – and failing spectacularly – to keep his cool. She's a desperate bitch. She has no fucking idea what she's talking about. This time around it's not like that for him and Rachel. But Quinn's irritatingly sweet, malicious voice keeps pressing on. "You know Rachel. When it comes down to it, you will never – ever – be the one she picks first".

That's the fucking it. He slams his fist into the nearest locker (leaving a dent on it) and turns around facing her. She smiles victoriously and shivers in what is, Puck thinks, anticipation. "You know what, Quinn?" He practically spits and hisses around the words, and the triumph in her eyes is slowly replaced with confusion. "I am not a fucking second choice. Stop following me around like a shitty lovesick fucking puppy. Been there, done that and, when it comes down to that?" He smirks deviously. "It's not worth coming around for. So get a fucking clue and stay the hell away from me!"

She gasps, offended, but he walks away before she has a chance to answer, towards the auditorium, where he knows Rachel is. He's almost at the door when he hears Finn's muffled voice and bites back the urge to pick Rachel up and get the hell away from those two with her. Fuck their life, seriously. He cracks the door open and listens to his now definitely former best friend's voice filtering in loud and clear.

"C'mon, Rach. You know how Puck is. When it comes down to it, he'll pick every other hot girl on the planet over you".

Okay. That's the fucking last straw or whatever the fuck. Finn is a dead man.

Rachel stays silent for a moment – he peeks inside and she's looking stunned at Finn, but slowly her face changes into a mask of barely concealed malice. "I think you're slightly confused, Finn, as usual. We're talking about Noah here, not you. For him, and dear sweet Celine forgive me for such foul language, I'm not a fucking second choice. Have a nice evening". She turns on her heels and Puck backs out from the doorway, proud as hell of his girl for telling Finn off and swearing!

She quickly appears and gives him a big but tired smile. He takes her in his arms and hugs her tight, kissing her fervently. She's startled for a moment but melts against him after a second, kissing him equally fervent. "I love you", he mumbles against her lips, and she smiles, pressing herself closer to him.

"I love you too".


	3. The Big What If

**Author's Note: **I was supposed to write a new chapter for NGBA, but my muse left me dry. Until them, I'm trying my hand on the drabble world.

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

**The Big What-If.**

They're in Lima – the whole eleven of them – for Sam and Quinn's wedding. Mike and Tina are the next one to tie the knot, in January on a beautiful winter ceremony. Brittany and Santana already made it official on Canada, and San is now huge and fucking insane with hormones. Matt brought his girlfriend Elaine for them to meet. Finn married Sunshine Corazón (WTF?). Kurt is enjoying the single life. Mercedes recently broke up with a doctor and is telling everyone she's pulling a Puck and swearing off relationships. Artie is living with an adorable physiotherapist.

He's the only single straight man. And Berry?

Berry is engaged to Jesse St. Jerk. Fuck it all.

Apparently (his mama follows her life obsessively on the tabloids – B is still her ideal of perfect daughter-in-law) they ran into each other on an audition for 'Hairspray' or some pansy Broadway play like that ("Musical, Noah!") and, without two glee clubs and two other boys to come between them, their relationship got a second run.

It's unfair how those asses that treated her like shit got all the chances they could, and he never got a fucking second one.

Now she's standing by his side, smelling of heady, expensive perfume and looking like sex on heels in a sleeveless red hot dress that shows off her tight sexy body. Matt grins at him when he catches him staring at her (no surprise – Matt was the only one who knew Puck's second biggest regret ever was to let their resident diva escape. The first one involves letting go a beautiful little girl who is his spitting image and is being raised by the mother of said diva).

Rachel arrives almost two minutes before the ceremony is set to start and is engagement ring-less. He hears her telling San it was because it didn't match the jewelry she picked to wear with her dress – bright yellow gold – but Santana snorts. Her answer is cut short by the Wedding March echoing on the nave.

Rachel cries during the ceremony, and in the reception she is excited to see everyone, but something he can't name flashes in her eyes when she hugs him. Santana and Brittany look at her worriedly, and he frowns. But soon Kurt takes her away to catch up, and he only sees her much later, sipping from her champagne flute and watching everyone dance. She has Schue and Miss P's – now Mrs. Schue – younger son sleeping peacefully on her arms, and he stops for a moment because right then? Seeing her so comfortable and mother-like cuddling with a baby?

He knows he has to make her his. And this time, he can steal the girl away with no worries. He hates St. Jerk anyway.

He crosses the dance floor and settles on a chair behind her. He leans forward and breathes in her scent, relieved to find, underneath her costly perfume, a hint of the pear and vanilla that he remembers so well from their younger years. He notices she shivers, and the smirk that everyone including his mama thought was born etched on his face curls his lips. "I think you'll always be my biggest what-if", he breathes against her ear, and notices she stiffens for a moment, silent, going over his words (he almost can see the wheels turning on that crazy beautiful head of hers) before turning her face towards his slightly, pressing a noisy kiss on his cheek (very close to his lips) and whispering against his skin.

"What if I stop being that and become something else?"

His heart is not thumping loudly in his chest. It's not.

Fuck off.

(Turns out, she was late to the wedding because she was breaking up with St. Jerk. He makes her his wifey six weeks later on New York City Hall. His mama is so happy he finally came to his senses that she lets it slide that she wasn't there to see them get married)


	4. Forget The World Outside

**Author's Note: **Two drabble fills on the same day! I blame GoingVintage for her awesome prompt ("Don't think anything outside that door tonight, Noah. Please? Just you and me? Just for tonight?").

**Disclaimer: **Michelle is mine. The rest isn't.

**Forget the World Outside**

**H**e's getting married a week from now. To a beautiful midget brunette with long, wavy locks, immense, mocha-colored brown eyes and the (second) longest set of legs he has ever seen in the years he has been admiring the various packages female beauty comes in. All his friends from the time he was a stud in Lima were coming, and his mother and sister were thrilled he's finally settling down.

He's a singer and songwriter, and after many months struggling to get discovered, he finally got his big break (thanks to the girl he's trying very strong not to think about right now). His talent was recognized and his gigs are getting fuller and fuller. He sometimes can't walk on a bar without being recognized and asked for his autograph. He's not the Lima loser who was once forced to give up the baby girl he fathered with his best friend's girl. Not anymore.

And all that thanks to the unshakeable belief Rachel-

Oh, fuck.

You see, Rachel and he were once a couple. For more than five years, from the summer between junior and senior years until spring break of their college senior year. They ended it, not because they stopped loving each other (in fact, if anything, they were still as madly in love as they had been the first month of their relationship). But… Somewhere down the road, they became too much friends and not enough lovers. So, they took a break. To figure things out.

It had been a year ago. He began a drunken relationship with Michelle shortly after. Three months ago, she tearfully called him and said she was pregnant. Now he's marrying her. A week from tonight.

He doesn't know much about relationships, but he knows that finding the love of your life (he's man enough to admit Rachel's the one) wasn't supposed to end like this: him marrying someone else, and Rachel not standing to even talk to him.

* * *

**R**achel Berry always thought taking a breather from their longtime relationship to think things over would mean they'd see they couldn't live without each other and would get back together with a stronger commitment to each other.

Her psychic abilities failed her and never warned her of the danger called Michelle Powell, soon to be Mrs. Noah Puckerman, lurking ahead.

Even worse was to know that she had willingly let go of the love of her life. The one who was supposed to be leading man on the big, wonderful musical of her existence. The only one who had loved her, flaws and all.

The one she hasn't talked to ever since Michelle (that envious harlot) called, all excitement and giggles, announcing Noah and she were having a child and he had popped the question. Noah had called, of course, three or four times a day, every day since his engagement to Michelle went public. But she had refused to answer. He had always postponed proposing to her, his girlfriend of five plus years, but it took him just circa nine months to impregnate and ask Michelle to marry him.

(He decided the less talented, more boring version of her worthy of being his wife. It breaks her soul and infuriates her at the same time).

Now she stands in his front door, in the front door of the apartment Michelle will get to live the life she's dreamed of since she was sixteen, with the man she has loved since longer than that – since a week in sophomore year when he serenaded her with 'Sweet Caroline' and picked glee and geeks and slushie facials and _her_ over football and popularity and social reputation. She's shaking, hesitance and fear and boldness turning her insides into one big slippery knot. But she has to do it, has to have her one last night, has to say goodbye to the one person who will always be the one who got away.

She raises her hand and knocks, only once, and holds her breath as she waits.

* * *

**H**e swears under his breath when the knock echoes from outside, because he was all set to leave when it came, towards a big loft-like studio near Broadway, a graduation gift from James and Eli for their little star. He has his coat on and his cell phone off, because tonight is the night he's taking control of his life again, is making his girl his once again.

He has come to realize that he doesn't need to be married to Michelle to be a good father, because if there is something he has learnt from his parents' disastrous relationship is that a child doesn't make a loveless marriage a happy family. He'll be there for his child, yes, but he's not marrying Michelle when he doesn't love her, only because he knocked her up.

With a scowl, he pushes his front door wide open – and stops, shocked, as he comes face to face with Rachel. Rachel, who is clearly skinnier than she was the last time he saw her. Rachel who's pale and heartbroken and nervous and shaking and hopeful. Rachel, who he loves more than life itself. Rachel's standing on his doorway. Rachel knocked on his door. Rachel came to him.

He steps aside to let her in, and she does, biting her lower lip softly. He takes in the skinny black denim pants, the long black trench coat and the flowy, long-sleeved white top that hang loosely from her body. He bites back on commenting she lost weight. But she does. And he knows she knows he noticed. Silence falls over them like a thick, heavy, uncomfortable blanket. He's the one to break it. "Rach…"

But she interrupts him by jumping in his arms, kissing him like there's no tomorrow, like she feels the world's ending tonight and if it is, then she wants to spend her last hours with him (and, since she doesn't know his decision, maybe it is). He kisses her back, with the same pent up passion and desperation, and tears run down both their faces by the time she pulls away and whispers, "Don't think anything outside that door tonight, Noah. Please? Just you and me? Just for tonight?"

And so he does. He takes her to the bedroom and makes love to her in a way he never did before. He has time later to tell her he's marrying **her** as soon as possible, fuck Michelle. He knows everyone who truly matters will be thrilled. Their marriage is something they (the gleeks, his mother and sister, her fathers) have been waiting since he followed her to NY after graduation.


	5. The Box

**Disclaimer: **Not mine. Prompt by selemac: Why there is a box full of money in your room, labeled 'vasectomy cash'?

**The Box**

**T**hey were newly graduated students – she majoring in Drama and taking her much deserved break between her graduation and the start of rehearsals (she's playing Amber Von Tussle on an off-off Broadway revival of 'Hairspray'). Noah was a physiotherapist specializing in sports injuries – and they were back in Lima for the month. She was organizing his overly messy bedroom when she found it.

Carefully tucked underneath his bed, far from the crinkled Penthouses and dirty clothes and scattered shoes, there was a quite battered shoebox. She crouched down and pulled it out, lifting it up (and it was quite heavy if she might add) and placing it on the newly made bed. She gave the door a careful glance – his mother and sister were out, but he was supposed to arrive home any second now – and went back to the box.

Stuck to the tattered black lid there was a long strip of metallic duct tape, the kind he uses to tape boxes closed like he had done when packing to leave for New York four years ago. Written in his messy scrawl on the duct tape is 'vasectomy cash'. She frowned because, despite rumors to contrary, he never had a vasectomy junior year after Beth's birth. First because his mom heard about it and cried for a day and a half, cursing him for not giving her 'beautiful Jewish grandbabies, before he managed to convince him it was a lie (he didn't tell Anne he was still saving cash to have it).

Second, because by the time he made money enough to have it done, they were already together and he realized he wanted a baby with her.

Frowning at the box, she peeked inside it and gasped once she realized it was filled with money bills. Before she could count it, however, he entered the room, his back to her as he went to the bathroom. "Hey babe, maybe you want to order in and pop a movie in tonight? I know we have that thing scheduled with Matt and Quinn but I'm just so exhausted, Rach…"

"Noah…"

"… So I thought that maybe instead of partying it out with the Rutherfords you'd like to stay in for a little cuddlin'? It's fine if you don't, but I'll need a little time, baby…"

"Noah…"

"… Because the trainer kicked my ass tonight, and I really need a nap-"

"Noah!" She said sharply, and smiled sweetly when he stopped talking and looked at her. "Why there is a box full of money in your room, labeled 'vasectomy cash'?"

He stared blankly at her for a moment before frowning. "This shit's still here? Damn, I'd thought ma had found it by now!" He stripped down to his boxers and smiled winningly at her. "I'm glad she didn't. I'll take it back home with us and we'll blow it off, kay? Just shove it into my luggage", he said walking in the joint bathroom. Shrugging, she did as said, placing it on his bag, when he called out, "Yo, babe, you didn't get to open it and count the money, did you?"

"Not yet, Noah, but if you want me to…"

"No, that's cool. Just go pop in the movie, 'kay?" As he heard the mumbled 'Okay' coming from her, he breathed out in relief. After a quick shower, he dried himself and, after putting clean shorts on, picked the old box. Opening it, he smiled at the inside of the lid.

Written in black permanent marker on the cardboard, in his chicken scrawl, there was:

_Rachel's engagement ring money_.


	6. Musings

**Disclaimer: **Prompt by the amazing GoingVintage. Everything else belongs to Mr. RM. And I refuse to watch last week's Glee because first: no Puck! Seriously? And second: c'mon, it's _Ballads_ all over, only in a different package! (And I really wanted _Lucky_ to be Puckleberry's song sometime down this season!)

**Musings**

**A**s I watch her dancing in the arms of her new husband, glowing and beautiful in her princess-like white dress, I can't help but wonder at the way life turns and shifts and changes. If someone ten years ago told me I'd be at this wedding, celebrating the union of Rachel Berry to this man, I'd be either laughing or punching the hell out of them, because back then?

Back then she was mine.

Back then I didn't know she was mine for a little while.

We lasted three months, give or take – I'm not good with dates – before I made it crumble. First I began ditching her, for practices (couch Beiste wasn't loose about us missing them as Tanaka was), then chose to hang out with my team mates – the sports teams ones – over her and our fellow gleeks.

I didn't know back then that I was throwing her in the arms of the man she's gotten married to tonight. I always thought that in the end it would be me. I always thought I'd have her heart forever. I had no idea that while I was building back my reputation, he and she were building the foundation of their relationship.

We collapsed on the early hours of a Saturday morning. She chose not to go with me to a victory celebrating party (her dad was sick and she stayed in to help her daddy care for him), and I screwed it up. I made out with Quinn in front of him. And, after helping Sam beat my sorry ass, he left to her house – where San and Brit already were, having found out what had happened.

The next morning, I had a nasty bruise, a fucking hangover and a dumped ass.

It took two months for them to walk in holding hands. Five years later, here I am at their wedding. Artie, Tina, Quinn, Matt and Santana are standing in front of the band, Quinn nestled on Artie's lap, his hands resting on her blossoming belly, Santana and Tina giggling with Matt. Santana smiles winningly at everyone while pointedly avoiding me (I'm not her favorite person because of that Friday night) and her eyes soften at the newlyweds. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, singing for the first time as a married couple, Mr. and Mrs. Noah Isaac Puckerman!" She then smirks at Rachel, who looks alarmed for a second before giggling and shaking her head. "And unborn baby Puckerman!"

I stiffen for a moment as everyone gasps, eyes turning to Rachel and Puck, the latter having leant into her. She smiles sweetly and places his hand over her silk-covered stomach, and I look away. I signal for the waiter and ask for a double scotch on the rocks. I smile falsely at them and drink it at once. I lie to myself saying it's for their baby and their wedding.

She was mine for a little while. She's his forever.


	7. The Lie

**Disclaimer: **Prompt by the amazing GoingVintage. Everything else belongs to Mr. RM. And I refuse to watch last week's Glee because first: no Puck! Seriously? And second: c'mon, it's _Ballads_ all over, only in a different package! (And I really wanted _Lucky_ to be Puckleberry's song sometime down this season!)

**The Lie**

**N**oah is smirking when he enters her room later that evening and she has the feeling she knows why. She shuts her book close and turns at him, staring expectantly as he settles next to her into her new queen-sized bed, arms crossed behind his head, upper body positioned in a way that only a sliver of skin on his abs appears underneath the white T-shirt (it's only a patch of skin, but oh the things it does to her body!). He keeps silent, however, and she licks sudden dry lips (his eyes darken as they follow her tongue, and she shifts slightly). "What, Noah?" She asks, as casually as possible, stretching her legs and crossing her ankles.

He smirks openly at her now, and rests his hand splayed open just where the end of her skirt rests against her thigh. His fingers are calloused as they stroke her skin, and his voice is teasing and playful when he speaks. "Just had the most interesting little chat with Finn…" He says, and she widens her eyes, because really? Panic begins to choke her, and his fingers slip to the inside of her thigh, making her shudder and burn. "Relax, babe", he says with a brush of his lips against her jawline. "He just told me something hysterically funny…"

She's fighting the urge to turn into a puddle of melted Rachel on her soft sheets and slides on the mattress so that her upper body is resting next to his on her fluffy pillows (and his hand slides just a little closer to where she burns for him). Her fingers curl against his bicep, and a breathy whine leaves her half-open lips as he pinches the soft skin of her inner thigh (he has to bite his lips because he can feel her heat, and this teasing game between them is too much fun to end right now). "Yeah?" She breathes unevenly, the ache between her legs growing insistently. "What was that?"

(He loves that only he can make her all airy and normal like that).

"Well…" His fingers brush 'accidentally' against her moist panties, and her mouth drops open on a silent moan. He rests his lips against the shell of her ear, pressing a wet kiss on the sweet spot behind it that he knows makes her liquid and hot(ter) for him. "… He said you told him you're waiting until you're 25 to let him collect your cherry".

She can feel his smirk against her skin, and she blames the flush on her cheeks for his ministrations (not because she's embarrassed she was caught in a blatant lie by the one she gave herself to). She licks her lips again and presses a kiss to his shoulder, whispering against his cotton-covered skin. "Well… Maybe that's… Hoooow…" He pushes her panties aside and flicks a finger against her clit, and she dugs her nails on his arm, "… How long I'll need to get enough of you…" He repeats it and she's panting, moisture drenching her to the point where she can feel it seeping on the sheets, "… So I can be satisfied with him for the rest of my life".

He gets more aggressive by the time she stops speaking, and his eyes are dark, angry and stormy green when he pushes her onto her back and plunges two fingers inside her sopping pussy. She closes her eyes and moans softly. "Stop lying to yourself, Rachel", he growls, sliding his digits out so that only the tips twitch against her clit. "You and I both know that we'll never get enough of each other. Even if you fuck Finn, you'll be thinking of me. Of how filled you feel when it's my cock shoved to the hilt inside your cunt. Face it, babe: you're a woman. You need a man. Finn's a kid. He'll never measure up". He kisses her forcefully (but not with force enough to bruise her) and slides his rock hard dick inside of her, making her mewl loudly.

After they're both pleasantly spent, she rolls over him and presses a kiss to his chin. He wraps his arms around her (he's a cuddler with her – and only with her. She knows) and rubs his cheek against her disheveled hair affectionately. "You're right", she whispers against his skin. He's right and now they both know it – she's had the best lover she could, and he has her spoiled for other men.

(It's not a sexist statement. At all. Because she spoiled him for other women. No one will ever measure up).


	8. Threats

**Disclaimer: **Prompt by the amazing GoingVintage. Everything else belongs to Mr. RM. And I refuse to watch last week's Glee because first: no Puck! Seriously? And second: c'mon, it's _Ballads_ all over, only in a different package! (And I really wanted _Lucky_ to be Puckleberry's song sometime down this season!)

**Threats**

**T**hey're officially and openly dating for two hours – two hours! – when it happens.

"If you hurt her, I'll break your face"

Puck stars in shock as Kurt – Kurt! – looks at him all fierce and shit, the thin, feminine hands curled into tight, angry fists as he tries to stare him down. He knows he's gaping, but, what the hell?

"You've heard me, tall, dark and dumb. If you hurt her, I'll break your face", the former kicker says coldly, and Puck gapes for a moment.

"Uh… Beyoncé, you know I'm dating Rachel, right? Not Quinn", he says carefully, because maybe all that hair spray and slushies to the face managed to fuck up Hummel's head?

Kurt rolls his eyes and stares as him coolly, brushing an unseen flint from his brand new outfit. "I know you're dating diva. And I mean it, Puckerman. If you hurt Rachel, you're done. She's been too hurt in the past. Consider this a warning. Do not fuck it up. I may be way smaller than you, but I know torture that you don't. Toodles", he then turns his back and leaves. Puck blinks but then shrugs it off.

Kurt's crazy that way.

* * *

**"Y**o, man, you hurt her and I kick your ass".

Puck blinks at his phone because, seriously? He has gone down this with Kurt already. No need for Matt to call in from Miami. "Who told you?"

Matt chuckles. "I may be soaking up the sun here in Florida but the glee phone tree still finds me from time to time, man. Mercedes was more than happy to spill the beans". He says, and then adds seriously. "I mean it, dude. Don't fuck with Rachel's heart. She's has been gone through enough with Frankenteen and St. Jerk".

Puck snorts but nods, because this totally makes sense. Matt and Rachel were next door neighbors and they grew up together. "Whatever, man. How's Florida?"

And that's that.

* * *

**"M**ess it and kiss your cock goodbye".

"What S said".

Puck fights back the urge to growl because, seriously? Santana and Brittany too? But he doesn't even have the time to question her because they nod at him and walk away – Brit stops to wave cheerfully at him before scurrying after San.

This is getting weirder and weirder.

* * *

**B**y the time glee practice comes around, he's pissed. He has been threatened from Jacob (who stammered and trembled and ended up head first on the nearest dumpster) to Finn (who simply alternated between glaring at him and looking like he had run over his puppy). Rachel's looking at him curiously and worriedly, but he just shakes his head at her and mouths "Later, babe" at her, who nods. But then Mercedes walks up to him with a fierce, stony expression on her face, and opens her mouth and he's had fucking enough.

"I won't fuck it up, or break her heart or screw behind her back. Jesus fucking Christ, back the hell off! All of you!" He turns to scowl at their fellow glee mates and growls. "Leave us the hell alone! Not that it's any of your business, but Rachel and I love each other! We've been dating for six months!" He nods firmly at their collective gasp. "That's right! We've been together for fucking half a year! Why don't you care for your own businesses? Find your own love lives to snoop around! Jesus!"

He settles back down next to her and she's smiling all big and proud of him. He smiles softly at her and wraps an arm around her shoulders, and she turns to Mr. Schue, who is embarrassedly hovering by the piano. "So, Mr. Schue… What's the assignment for this afternoon?"


	9. Drunk Dialing

**Disclaimer: **Prompt by gabi_in_wndrlnd. It's Puck's speech, only curse-less. Everything else belongs to RM.

**Drunk Dialing**

**S**he's prepping to go to bed (a budding starlet like herself needs a disciplined sleep regimen) when her iPhone rings and she freezes. 'Sweet Caroline' blasts from the tiny speakers and she clenches her hands tightly willing the sheer veil of tears down. She and Noah have broken up two weeks ago and it's the first time on those fourteen days that he has called. But she'll not answer.

She forces herself to ignore the insistent 'Sweet Caroline, good times never seemed so good' that repeats itself over and over again (no one can ever say that Noah isn't persistent) and goes to the adjoining bathroom to scrub her face clean of the dirt and pollution from the city she has been calling home for the last four and a half years. She scowls at her hands when she notices them shaking and rolls her eyes calling herself stupid.

The song blissfully stops and she breathes a quiet sigh of relief as she washes her face clean. She puts on a loose wife-beater – the one thing of his that she allows to be for everyone to see. The others are firmly tucked on the back of her closet. She only looks at them from time to time.

(Every night before she goes to bed since he moved out. She cries herself to sleep).

Her home phone rings as she's in the middle of her trip down the memory lane, cheeks awash with tears. It rings for a second time before her trusty answering machine kicks in, and she hears herself saying the greeting message, being followed by a long silence before his rough, slurred voice comes. "I fucking miss you, all day, every day". Her breath catches and a new wave of tears flow from her eyes because she can imagine him, sitting dejectedly at the balcony of Kurt and Sam's apartment (Kurt had called the day after Noah moved out, saying her 'tall, dark and broody had firmed permanent residence on his plush couch'), drunk out of his mind, staring at the starless sky of New York. Just imagining it is enough to break her heart.

She hears him chuckle bitterly, hears the sound of him chugging a drink (definitely Jack Daniels, he loves that), and then he speaks again. "And you can't even imagine how fucking pathetic it makes me feel, B. You know the fucking why? Because I don't even fucking know if you fucking miss me back".

She can't tell how she ended up kneeling by the answering machine, hugging her perfumed pillow tight against her chest, her right cheek resting against the pillowcase, a wet spot under it, growing larger by the minute, fed by her nonstop tears. She hears him breathing silently before the answering machine beeps again, cutting him off. She rises slowly, padding back to her bedroom, and finds her iPhone. She stares at the open box on her bed for a long moment before nodding.

* * *

**H**is phone is thrown haphazardly by his side, and he's leaning against the cool glass door that separates the Evans-Hummel living room from the balcony where he spends his night on, when he hears the soft noise that signals he has a new e-mail. Groaning, he picks up the gadget – and freezes for a moment when he recognizes the e-mail.

His heart then thumps loudly against his ribcage, and he rushes to click on the new e-mail.

_Come home._

Thirty minutes later, the doorbell on her apartment rings.


	10. The Ring

**Author's Note: **Prompt by beckingham - _Rachel tends to absentmindedly fiddle with her wedding ring. It never fails to make Puck want to jump her_, with a bonus from inspire16 if it's totally not absentmindedly.

**Disclaimer: **No, RM, the Insane, hasn't adopted me yet. The song, even though adapted, belongs to Creed.

**The Ring**

**S**he's doing _it _again.

Rachel is sitting on Sam and Quinn's couch, talking to the blonde about her new workshop for _Spring Awakening _(which she'll star as Wendla, because she looks a lot like the girl who 'originated' or whatthefuckever the role. Fuck his life, her costar is St. Jerk). Quinn is giggling ("Isn't this musical about, like… sex?" She whispers the last word and Puck wants to laugh), and Rachel is chuckling and… fiddling with her wedding ring.

The wedding ring _he _gave to her one and a half year ago once she was done with Julliard and he was done with NYU.

And, yeah, it makes him totally hot and hard and desperate to fuck her, because he feels like the _man _for having put a ring on her or whatever the fuck that song was all about. So he slides next to her in the couch, and Quinn smiles at him and stands up to go check on baby Claire. So he pounces. He kisses that soft spot behind her ear that he knows makes her all hot and bothered, and whispers in her ear all sorts of dirty things that he wants to do with her (she blushes and feebly pushes him, hissing "Noah!" in that sexy voice he loves. He smirks. He knows she loves dirty talk. It totally turns her on).

Five minutes later he's hiking her skirt up and taking her against their apartment door (it pays off to live in the same building their best friends do), and she's screaming and demanding, "More, more, more, God, Noah!" (Thank fuck their apartment is all soundproofed).

Oh, yeah, he's the man.

**

* * *

S**ee, she knows Noah is jealous, insecure and just plain furious that she's doing _Spring Awakening _with Jesse. He hates Jesse with a passion she only saw him dedicating to his videogames and sex, all because of a silly little mistake Jesse did when they were all kids. (She has forgiven her ex-boyfriend for it, so why can't Noah?)

She also knows he's furious that her new role demands her to be shown in various aspects of undressing and in a passionate sex scene with Jesse. And she's also aware of how turned on he is whenever he sees her fiddling with her wedding ring. No, he doesn't know she knows that. There are some things they know about each other that they don't acknowledge they know. (He's turned on by what she's doing right now. She loves the filthy things he whispers in her ear when he's talking her into having sex with him).

So, if it happens that she's distractedly twirling her wedding ring in her finger while she's talking with Quinn about _Spring Awakening _and he's in the kitchen talking and having a beer with Sam after their weekly dinner at the Evans' apartment, it may not be as absentmindedly as he thinks it is.

She's just that good actress.


	11. Conclusion

**Author's Note: **Filling my side of the deal I've made with eyesofgarnet (she adds another one of my prompts to her list, I fill two of hers).

**Conclusion**

**A**fter a long time of pretending she didn't burn for him, she had come to a very serious, 100% foolproof conclusion.

The more you hide your feelings from someone, the more you fall in love with them.

And, considering she had been (for the sake of the team, for her sake, for _his _sake) hiding how deep she'd fallen for him, she believed she was a better actress than she had ever thought she was.

She broke up with Finn two months ago after finding out he slept with Santana and lied to her face about it, and Noah was the first one to show her support by punching Finn on the face and seriously telling her to stop being "fucking stupid and giving dumbass more chances to break your heart". Quinn was the second one (surprise, surprise), Brittany after her. In the end, all glee club but Kurt stood by her. Even Jesse somehow got word of what happened and called offering support and kind words.

As the only Jewish single members of the glee club, she and Noah began hanging out more and more (to the joy of Anne Puckerman, who returned to praying for the good Lord to put some sense into her boy's head so he'd make Jewish Rachel his fiancée). And, little by little, the wounds in her heart caused by Finn and Jesse were healed by Noah, imperceptibly for both of them. Rumors began flying around school that 'Puckleberry' was back together, and they laughed it off.

Actually, he laughed it off. She smiled (falsely) and pretended the memories of their week-long relationship hadn't rushed back to her mind, making heat pool low in her belly and her heart flutter with excitement.

She was ready to make her move, when a drunken Noah knocked on her door late one night and she flittered around him, scolding him for drinking and driving. He was smiling goofily at her antics, then hugged her and whispered in her hair how glad he was they were friends. Her heart swelled then broke at his words. He only saw her as a friend.

She decided to back off, because she didn't want to be rejected, even if she knew he would do it gently in order to not hurt her. She watched as he went back to his man-whore ways, crying to sleep every night when he bade her good night through the phone or texts saying he had a date or something. The only time she allowed herself to mourn and grieve for the wounds he unknowingly tore in her heart was at night; during the day, when they were joined at the hip and he lavished her with attention, deeper and deeper she fell for him.

And the harder she tried to hide, more and more of his facets she uncovered and loved.

One day she decided it was enough, she was done pining for a boy who would never see her as more than his best friend, and accepted Jesse's offer of dinner and movie (_Wicked_, with this young Broadway starlet who could pass off as her twin as Elphaba and this beautiful boy who looked surprisingly like Jesse as Fiyero) when he was home for the summer. She only told Quinn of her friendly date – Quinn was the only one who knew of her feelings for Noah, go figure – and was halfway through getting ready for her dinner and movie when Noah stormed in.

"What the fuck you think you're doing, Rach? Haven't we talked about you not giving second chances to fuckers who broke your heart? And why does St. Jerk get a second chance, and I fucking don't?" He yelled, furious, and she blinked, shocked at his outburst.

"What are you talking about, Noah?" She was shivering, shaking, because, sweet Barbra, was he saying what she thought he was saying?

"I'm talking about how I was giving you space and time to heal your heart, so I could make you my girl, Berry. Finn fucked you up nice and harsh and I didn't want to be a fucking rebound, so I settled with being your friend. Once I felt you were ready to dip into the dating pool again, I'd sweep in and claim you as my hot Jew girlfriend, but then Q called and-"

She didn't let him finish. Her lips crashed against his, her curves pressing against the hard planes of his body as he relaxed into the kiss and took charge of it. "You're a moron if you think I want to date Jesse", she said afterwards, panting. "I've been half in love with you since you shoved your fist into Finn's face when we broke up".

He grinned and kissed her. "Knew the guns made you hot, babe".

Not only his arms. But she could tell everything she loved about him later. Now she just wanted to relish into his kisses.


	12. Like Harry&Sally

**Author's Note: **Prompt by maggiequeen4. It's the movie quote. Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy, FOX and others. I don't own _When Harry Met Sally _either.

**like Harry and Sally**

**E**ver since Noah rescued her from freezing to death at the Christmas tree store parking lot, they managed to form a pretty tight friendship. He stood up for her when Santana (firmly secure as her replacement as Finn's girlfriend) reignited verbal smackdown and humiliation at her. He punched Finn and broke his nose when her former flame began blabbering about how much of a slut she was for hanging out with the one who supposedly had broken them up (really? She was partial to blaming Santana). She slapped the heck out of Amber Jackson (Becky Jackson's older, sluttier sister) when Amber ran into Rachel, Noah and Nina on Breadstix and mocked them.

This turned Rachel into Nina's hero. And made Noah sure Rachel and he were friends enough that he could introduce her to his mama and she wouldn't run away screaming, scared by Anne Puckerman's crazy (In fact, Noah thought if anyone could top the old bat's loose screws, it would be Berry. The crazy **had** to be a Jewish woman prerogative or something).

Introducing Rachel to Anne added a new pastime to their friendship: whenever Puck's sports practice went into the night, he always managed to sneak in a text to Rachel asking her to go keep Anne and Nina company until he came home. This created a chick-flick-movie night for the three females. Rachel would come with the movie (never a musical, unless Anne or Nina mentioned wanting to see one), Anne would provide the food (Chinese take-out, anyone?), and Nina would do her homework while they ate.

It was a Friday, and Coach Beiste (a sweetie, in Rachel's opinion, and a very decent woman in Anne's) had instated an extra mandatory practice since they were three weeks away from a decisive game. Rachel had ordered a copy of _When Harry Met Sally_ on Amazon that had arrived earlier that day. It was three months now that Noah had introduced Rachel to Anne, and her hints that the diva in training should be his son's girlfriend were getting less and less subtle (not that they were **that** subtle to start with).

(But could anyone blame Anne? The girl was sweet, smart, talented and beautiful. And she was Jewish. With any luck, and her help, Noah could be married to a decent, ambitious **Jewish** woman by the time he's twenty, and giving her green-eyed-, dark-haired grandbabies by the time he's twenty-two).

They were halfway through the movie, and Nina was already semi asleep on Anne's lap, when the following scene came up:

_Harry: You realize of course that we could never be friends. _

_Sally: Why not? _

_Harry: What I'm saying is – and this is not a 'come on' in any way, shape or form – Is that men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way._

Since desperate times called for desperate measures (and her need to get Noah together with Jewish Rachel was a desperate time, thus calling for a desperate measure), Anne turned to Rachel and said, point blank:

"When are you and my Noah getting together?"

(She would've laughed at the look in Rachel's face if the moment weren't so, you know, serious – a Jewish wife to Noah. Jewish grandbabies she could keep and spoil and love. Never let it be said that Anne Puckerman doesn't have her priorities straight).

Rachel opened and closed her mouth, sputtering nervously, until she fidgeted under Anne's intense gaze. "Noah doesn't see me like that", she mumbled. Anne snorted.

"Yes, he does".

"He really doesn't, Mrs. Puckerman. I'm his friend. He's mine. The only one I can actually say I have", she said softly, and Anne's heart broke for the girl she wanted to be her (Jewish!) daughter-in-law.

"Honey…" She patted Rachel's shoulder softly. "My Noah is a good boy. He would make you very happy. If it doesn't work, you can always go back to being friends. Noah sure needs a strong-willed friend like you to keep him in line".

(She really wanted to say a strong-willed **wife**. But she thought she could settle for 'friend'. For now).

Two hours later, Anne had just put Nina to bed when she heard the front door creak open then closed. She heard heavy footsteps and then Noah's soft, smooth baritone voice coming from the kitchen, where Rachel was putting away the leftovers of their Chinese dinner and clearing the dishes. Anne quietly snuck back down and slid into the shadowy hall to overhear (it's never eavesdropping when you wanted to make sure your son didn't lose any chances with the one who is perfect for him).

"What's wrong, baby?" Noah asked softly, his voice concerned.

"Nothing". Rachel sounded clipped and tired, and her posture was tense and stiff.

"Rach…" Noah's voice held a bit of a warning now, and Rachel sighed.

"We were watching _When Harry Met Sally_, and your mom asked me when we were going to start dating", she whispered, and Anne heard Noah's sharp intake of breath. There was a bit of a pause and then Rachel broke down babbling, "I know, it's absurd! I told her you didn't see me like **that**, but you know she has been dropping hints that we'd be perfect for each other, and I would be omitting the truth if I said that doesn't get me thinking- hummmpf".

The loud clang of cutlery being dropped on the floor made Anne approach the door quietly and peep in the kitchen. What she saw… Well, it made her grin.

Noah had Rachel pressed against the counter, a hand on her hair, the other on her back and his lips pressed hungrily against her. Rachel had a hand on his neck, another on his shoulder, and her body firmly pressed against Noah. They finally broke apart for air, and Anne heard Noah pant harshly, "Remember me to thank the crazy old bat tomorrow, will ya?" Rachel nodded breathlessly before kissing him again.

Anne smiled in satisfaction and walked up the stairs with a bounce in her step.


	13. And After Five Years

**Author's Note: **Prompt by bsbfan2009. Finn is dating Rachel and Santana is dating Puck when they decide to go away together and leave the other two behind. They come back five years later, without a word. What could happen between Puck and Rachel in five years? During season one.

**Disclaimer: ***shakes head negatively and sadly*

**and after five years… **

**S**he sits on the shotgun seat of his car, nails tapping impatiently against the half-rolled down window. The hot, muggy nightly air surrounds her, making her thin white cotton dress stick to her sweaty skin, She can feel her dark hair curling and frizzing, and she scowls at her reflection as she examines herself on the tiny mirror. It has been five years since she left this shit hole of a town behind, with the man who now is driving the car. She turns to look discretely at him, really look at him with the eyes she knows those who they'll meet now for their four-year reunion will look.

She sees a man, a tired, overworked man. In Finn Hudson, the 22-year-old man, there's nothing left of Finn Hudson, the silly, hopeful, optimistic 17-year-old boy. He works at a construction in Seattle, where they settled down after running away from Lima (leaving behind his new girlfriend and her longtime fuck-buddy-turned-boyfriend), and he's still tall, still lean. But there's a sharpness and a scruff where he used to be baby smooth and soft, and a dark regret where she knew resided unending cheerfulness.

She's not the same girl, the head bitch in charge, the resident slut as well. She's tired, exhausted, regretful. She threw her life and future out to the wind over the thrill of an irresponsible adventure, and she can't help but wonder what would be of her life if she had refused Finn's drunken invitation that warm summer night, five years ago.

"Do you think they'll be there?" He asks quietly, and she sighs. She knows who 'they' are. Of course she does. It's the one subject they never mentioned, never, in their five years away. She knows he follows _her_ career avidly, sucking up every little detail he can find, proud as fuck of _her_ achievements. Hell, even she's proud of the midget's success, how can she not be?

But, for someone so loud and demanding and sure of herself, Rachel Berry grew to very a discrete as fuck person. No one knows the state of her love life (and Santana knows that's what bothers Finn the most). As far as the outer world is concerned, Rachel Berry is married to her Broadway stage and her kids are her Tony awards (she won three last year).

As for Puck, she has no idea how his life turned out to be. Immediately after she left, he deleted his Facebook account. She didn't keep contact with anyone back 'home', so she didn't know what he made after school was over. She can't help but ask herself if he took the same route she and Finn and Rachel did and left that crap city behind. She hopes he did. He sure as hell deserved it.

They arrive at McKinley High and take a moment to look at their old school. The building is still the same: constructions don't change. It's the people inside it that do. People change, grow up, mature, evolve. She tries for a moment to guess what happened to those ten teens they left behind. Quinn probably popped out her kid and gave it away, moving on to what she thought was her rightful place as ruling queen of school; most likely she's now the trophy wife of some older, rich lawyer or doctor. Berry is probably single (married to the stage and babying lifeless trophies, remember?) and as diva as always. Artie and Tina got married right after graduation and have now 2.5 babies who are blue-grey-eyed and Asian. Brittany (oh, she misses Brit!) graduated thanks to the pity of their teachers and now teaches dance to kids more clued in than she.

"Let's go", she says hastily, picking her white purse and checking her make up at the nearby mirror. Finn nods, hesitantly, and takes her hand in his, his wedding band clicking against her cheap engagement ring. She smiles weakly at him, and both take a deep breath.

**

* * *

Q**uinn Fabray is sitting next to her fiancé Sam Evans (wedding set to take place that winter), talking animatedly to Brittany Abrams as if they hadn't met just earlier that day, when she looks around distractedly and her eyes fall on two people no one had seen or heard of for the last five years. Her jaw drops open and she blinks, a blank shock falling over her pretty face. Across from her, Tina Cohen-Chang notices her silence (Quinn and Brittany maintained an incessant flow of conversation during the entire night) and looks to where Quinn is staring, her own eyes widening as she gasps in surprise.

"Oh my God!" Tina breathes, and involuntarily elbows her husband on the side. Mike, immersed in conversation with Matt (who didn't graduate with them but kept in touch with everyone), yelps in pain, rubbing the sore spot and turning to ask Tina why she hit him. He blinks in perplexity, brow furrowing as he recognizes the pair slowly approaching their table.

"Well, shit", Matt mumbles.

"Isn't that…" Kurt asks slowly, Blaine staring in confusion at his boyfriend.

"Hell to the no!" Mercedes whispers. Brittany has in her face the same shocked expression Quinn had in her own, Artie looking impassively at the hesitant young adults.

"Oh, my God. San", the taller former Cheerio squeaks, hand involuntarily tightening around her husband's. Artie has to bite back a smirk. Santana's and Finn's eyes are fluttering around the table, counting down the eight of them (ten if you count the two young men they don't know who are), and then wandering discretely around the ample gym.

"They're not here yet", Kurt says loudly, because he too picked up on who Finn and Santana are eager to see. Mercedes giggles slightly as her best friend and business partner seats back, picking up on inexistent lint on his perfectly flawless outfit. Santana and Finn take a seat on the further end of the table, and slowly the eight previous occupants of the table go back to their own conversation. Kurt is the first to address the new arrivals.

"Your mom married my dad", he tells Finn bluntly. 'We have a sister. Kate Christine, named after my mom and your dad. She's two". The smaller man's features soften visibly at the mention of the child, before they harden again, and he turns back to his boyfriend, leaving Finn visibly shocked at the news. Santana is shocked herself, noticing the huge rock on Quinn's finger, Tina's small bump and Mike's protective arm around her shoulders, Artie and Brittany curled around each other and talking quietly.

But then it happens. A small blonde runs up to Quinn, screeching "MOMMY!" and jumping at her lap. Quinn's face breaks out at a huge smile as she cuddles with the girl, sinking her face on the soft golden curls as the little girl talks a mile a minute. Santana and Finn are frozen with shock, both knowing right away who this girl is. She's all Quinn – except for the eyes.

She has huge hazel-green eyes.

Puck's eyes.

"- and mama and daddy were busy because we stopped at bubie, and bubie cried when daddy said it's a boy, but I don't know why!" The little girl finishes, pouting and making the ten adults on the table smile at each other secretively. The girl's eyes roam around her aunties and uncles, and she frowns shyly at the two she doesn't know. "Mommy, who are they?" She asks in a stage whisper, but Quinn never gets to answer.

"I'm so sorry for our tardiness, Quinn, we had to stop at Noah's mother's house, he forgot his wallet there – he just has his head on because it's attached to his neck!" A babbling, apologetic voice approaches them, followed by a quiet, throaty chuckle.

"Babe. Chill. I bet Beth told Q everything".

Finn and Santana rise immediately, turning to face their former significant others. The other eight adults hold their breaths collectively, Beth frowning in confusion at her mommy's lap. Rachel gasps and grips Noah's hand tighter. Noah stiffens next to her, his hand bringing her instinctively closer, a blank look on his handsome.

"Oh my God, Finn", Rachel breathes. But her ex's eyes aren't on her face anymore.

They're glued to her proudly displayed, late-third-trimester pregnant stomach.

The silence is heavy between them, and Noah – Puck can feel his wife's tension. Shit like that doesn't fly. It's not fucking kosher. Babe and baby need peace and quiet and that's why they left their huge as fuck loft in NYC to return to their craphole of hometown. "What the fuck are you doing here? You didn't graduate with the rest of us", he turns to Tina. "I thought you said there would be security?" He questions her, and the Asian blinks before nodding.

"Yes, there _is_ security, Puck. I'm so sorry for this misstep". She gets up and turns to Finn and Santana. "I'll have to ask the two of you to please leave. This is a private party for the graduating class of 2014. And you weren't part of it".

"You married _him_?" Finn screeches, and Rachel tenses even more. Santana seems frozen in her place, and Rachel begins to shake, This snaps Puck's loose grip on his self-control, and he marches up to his former best friend, punching him straight to the face. Rachel squeaks in shock and Finn crashes against the nearest table. The resulting noise makes heads turn toward them, buzz filling the room.

"Who the fuck do you think you are to come here and demand answers from my _wife_, Hudson?" He growls angrily. "You gave the right up years ago when you took off my slut of a girlfriend and left Rachel behind. Yes, she married me. We've been hitched for three years now, fuck you very much. Yes, she helps me raise my daughter – Beth, if you repeat any of this I'm washing your mouth with bleach, young lady. Yes, she's having my fucking son. Yes, she's filthy rich. So am I, by the way. Now fucking leave".

The silence that falls over the gym is thick and buzzes with curiosity. Santana, who surprisingly has kept her mouth shut, makes the first move. She gets up and hauls Finn up to his feet, tugging his ashamed ass. As they pass by Noah and Rachel, she mumbles quietly to Rachel, "I'm sorry" before vanishing into the night, the crowd parting for their passage and gossiping loudly.

Rachel's eyes follow the pair, her eyes full of pity as she notices how small Santana looks (so not like the proud, fierce Latina she used to be in her teenage years), how old Finn face is (how could she think he'd be a proper leading male to her? He's proof of the saying love is blind – or the idea of love, that is). Tension slowly seeps away from her body as Santana and Finn grow smaller and smaller, her shoulder shagging with relief when they step out. Noah's strong arms wrap themselves around her middle, their unborn son moving slowly inside her, and he presses a kiss to her hair. "You okay, baby?" He mumbles, and she turns in his embrace, a small smile on her plump lips as she puts a hand on his cleanly shaved cheek.

"I love you, Noah", she whispers, standing on the tip of her toes to press a kiss to his lips. In between them, their son kicks firmly, and she can feel Noah's lips curl in a smile against her own.


	14. Could Care Less

**Author's Note: **Prompt by giantpanda24. (512): Let me make this really simple. We woke up this morning and fucked three times. When I got up and took a shower she cleaned up the mess from last night and did the dishes. Then we went out and she bought me brunch. I don't give a FUCK how much you don't like her.

**Disclaimer: ***shakes head negatively and sadly*

**could care less**

**S**antana Lopez was _not_ a cheery (no pun intended) Cheerio. Since school restarted after winter break, she could feel her trusty (and favorite male) fuck-buddy get further and further away from her and more and more into Rachel Berry's filthy paws. And, like Puck would say, shit like that wasn't kosher. So what if she now had Finn's inexperienced dick to make her come? Finn was getting awesome in the sack (and boy was hung like a horse), but he was nowhere near the same level of knowledge Puck was. She needed Puck to be hers, no Berry's.

So, stay away from her. She was out for blood. Berry's blood. That's she was on the Puckerman's doorstep at one in a Saturday afternoon. Puck was _hers_, damn it.

"I don't like her", she told Puck as soon as he pulled the door open, pushing past him to walk in the house. Berry was somewhere doing god knew what (probably ironing her granny weekday panties and dreaming of having children when Broadway show names. Damn, Puck could do so much better).

"Good afternoon, Satan, how are you?" He shot back sarcastically, leaning against the open door. "Who's the poor chick you're hating on today?" He asked in a bored tone, rolling his eyes.

"You have to ditch Berry, Puck. I don't like her", she repeated, enunciating each world clearly and slowly, the demanding tone unmistakable. Puck stared blankly at her for a moment, before he burst out laughing, tears of amusement rolling down his cheeks.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" He asked in between bouts of laughter, wiping the wetness in his face. "Why the fuck hell would I do that?"

Santana bit back the urge to stomp like a little girl, glaring at him. "What fucking part of I don't like her didn't go through that thick skull of yours, Puck?" She shot back. The Latina stood up and slowly glided towards him, a sultry look on her pretty face. "C'mon, baby… You can do so much better than that Yenta. Remember how much fun we used to have together?" She breathed, sliding her hand seductively down his arm. "If you ditch the dwarf, we can have it all again…"

The air of laughter in his face vanished completely and he put a hand on her wrist to stop it from moving. "Sorry, not fucking interested", he retorted, picking her hand and moving it off his arm, breezing past her. "Besides, don't you have the jolly glee giant to fuck you whenever you want?" He added as an afterthought, and Santana arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow.

"Oh my God. Are you fooling around the midget to make me _jealous_, Puckerman?" She laughed. "You should've known the little bitch doesn't threaten me. I mean – c'mon, look at me! If anything…" Her smirk turned wicked. "… I'm the one who threatens her". She made a gesture showing her toned body – paying special attention to her enlarged boobs – and smirked at him.

He laughed again, shaking his head negatively at her and staring straight at her eyes. "Let me make this really simple to you, Satan. We woke up this morning and fucked three times. When I got up and took a shower, she cleaned up the mess from last night and did the dishes. Why do you think the house looks so clean? Then we went out and she bought me brunch", he marched firmly towards the door, holding it unnecessarily open. "I don't give a _fuck_ how much you don't like her, because, guess what, Señorita Loca? I _like_ her. Most importantly, she likes _me_. So get the hell out and fuck you very much". He hauled her over his shoulder, making her shriek and pound her closed fists against his back. Unceremoniously, he dropped her on her ass in the driveway, walking away as she cursed him furiously in Spanish. "Go back to hell, Satan", he replies with a smirk, flipping her off before slamming the door closed.

As he heard her daddy's girl car speed away, he found his phone, and a genuine smile curved his lips as he dialed the now very familiar number. "Hey, baby… Wanna hang out?"

Over the Berry residence, his girlfriend laughed. "You're incorrigible, Noah. I didn't know intercourse now qualified as 'hanging out'".

"Whatever, babe. You know you're addicted to the Puckerone", he grinned cockily.

Rachel giggled, her smile turning soft. "Yeah… I really am". There was a beat, and then… "I love you, Noah".

"Love you too, Rach".


	15. All The Things I Deserve

**Author's Note: **Prompt by blackgem88. The awesomely, insanely hot video for 'Underneath Your Clothes' by the super talented, badass midget Shakira, who I love and I think Puck would too – since she is, you know, a hot badass.

**Disclaimer: ***shakes head negatively and sadly*

**all the things I deserve**

It's common, wide knowledge that music is a massive turn on for Rachel Berry. If you're a talented dude, the fastest way to get in her pants is to serenade her in front of her glee club with a love song. (But it's also the fastest way to end up at ICU or, worse, inside a coffin. Because, Rachel Berry? She has a very, very, _very_ jealous boyfriend. Noah Puckerman. Maybe you've heard of him? Yes, _that_ Puckerman).

But, see, in this relationship, Berry isn't the only one who gets… uh… on a _giving_ mood when being the target of the proper song. Puckerman also gets all on 'I wanna sex you up' mind-set when his midget of a diva girlfriend sings for him. (Mr. Schue, specifically, learnt the hard way to knock every time he's about to open a closed door on McKinley after Rachel performs – no pun intended – to Puck. He has seen way more of Rachel that he'll ever be comfortable with).

Noah Puckerman, mind you, is a big, big, big (secret) fan of Colombian singer Shakira. As in, he thinks she's a hot badass midget that he'd totally bang if he had the chance (he kinda has a thing for short brunettes. Even if Shakira's all blonde bombshell now, he thinks she was hotter when she had dark hair). He also has that narcissistic streak that loves when his girl puts a special, for-your-eyes-only Shakira-like performance.

(Performance that usually ends with him between her soft thighs, grunting out her name while she moans his).

And Rachel has a lot of fun putting those 'shows' together. She gets to pick the music (the best so far has been 'La Tortura', for which she had to beg Santana to tutor her in Spanish – because even her jam sessions for Noah have to be flawless), put together the choreography (for the 'La Tortura' one, she switched the grease with which Shakira was covered with chocolate sauce) and… Uh… Reap the rewards.

But this…

This is stepping up their Shakira-induced seduction game up a notch.

See, earlier this week Mr. Schue told the gleeks their week's assignment was to pick a foreign artist's song and perform it in front of the club. Mike and Tina chose a J-pop song (whatever that is). Sam sang Bob Marley. Santana chose Julieta Venegas, a Mexican rocker. Artie picked Franz Ferdinand. Quinn surprised when she breathed Carla Bruni. Finn took the easy route and went all oldie rock with the Stones. Brittany followed with Girls Aloud.

Rachel is the last one to perform, and she knows everyone is curious to know who she'll pick. The only one who knows is her "language coach" Santana, and the shorter brunette has sworn her to secrecy, because she doesn't want the surprise to be spoilt for Noah. Santana didn't seem that inclined to agree… until Rachel casually mentioned knowing there was a Cheerio on her squad with her eyes set on Finn.

(Information, my darlings, is power. She's learnt that by being friends with Santana and dating Noah. And, if letting Santana know about Quinn making come-hither eyes at Finn is the price to pay for a secret to be kept, so be it).

So that's how she ends up, at Thursday afternoon, wearing the shortest leather skirt known to man and the tightest black velvet vest Kurt could find in Lima's mall – after grumbling about having short notice for 'outfit planning' (his words) – paired up with cowboy boots and a simple, yet sexy makeup consisted of smoky black eyes and shiny glossy lips.

She struts in the choir room with Noah's guitar hanging from her shoulder, a sexy little smirk curving her lips as she drinks in his reaction (his eyes pop wide open, before darkening dangerously). She completely misses the other boys' reactions, and the smirk and high five Kurt and Santana give each other. Mission Turning Rachel Berry into Shakira's Hotter Cousin is officially declared a success.

With eyes focused on Noah, she begins sensuously strumming the chords of his beloved guitar as she sits on a stool centered in the middle of the room, the rich, enrapturing sound wrapping itself around Noah and basically isolating the young couple from the rest of their team mates. Santana has to smirk at the hot stares Berry in her hot clothes are getting, mixed with the envious glares Puck is being the unaware victim of. She knows what everyone is thinking. _Puck, you lucky son of a bitch_.

**You're a song, written by the hands of God**

**Don't get me wrong, cause this might sound to you a bit odd**

**But you own the place where all my thoughts go hiding**

**Right under your clothes is where I find them**

Puck's jaw drops to the floor. Well, fuck. This assignment just turned his girlfriend into his hottest wet dream ever. He'll have to talk to her later about serenading him with a Shakira song that heavily implies about sex, but, for now, he'll just (discretely) drool all over that sex kitten that popped out of his fantasies straight into his goody-goody girlfriend.

**Underneath your clothes, there's an endless story**

**There's the man I chose – there's my territory**

**And all the things I deserve, for being such a good girl**

**Honey**

She slides the tip of her tongue over her glossed-up lips and all the males in the room have to bite back the urge to moan (Noah because he knows she'll be pissed if he just stands up, sweeps her off and takes her to the nearest janitor closet to fuck her senseless; all the others because Noah Puckerman being a possessive boyfriend is widely known and no one wants to be wrecked havoc upon by his fists of fury). She smirks at him.

**Because of you, I've forgotten the smart ways to lie**

**Because of you, I'm running out of reasons to cry**

**When the friends are gone, when the party is over**

**We still belong to each other**

By this part her eyes soften and her smirk turns into a sweet smile, and Noah can't help it – he just smiles back (everyone – seriously, _everyone _has to blink because Puck smirks, and grins, and chuckles, but a smile – a real, full-blown, genuine smile? That's a first).

She repeats the chorus, stands up and drops his guitar into Artie's lap as the rest of the band kicks up with the beat. She glides towards Noah, hips swaying sensuously, and straddles – yes, straddles! – him, lips coming dangerously close to his as she all but breathes the next verse to him.

**I love you more than all that's on the planet**

**Moving, talking, walking, breathing**

**You know it's true; baby, it's so funny – you almost can't believe it**

**As every voice is hanging from the silence**

**Lamps are hanging from the ceiling**

**Like a lady tied to her manners, I'm tied up to this feeling**

This is it. Puck is fucking done. He has to just fuck her _right now_. He interrupts her (he has a feeling she won't particularly care, the little vixen) by crashing his lips to hers, hips grinding as he shoves his tongue down her throat. She kisses him fervently back, and they're so caught up in their passion they solemnly ignore the rest of their teammates. Puck stands up and Rachel wraps her legs around her waist and he scrambles out of the room.

Not even the suspension they're given – three days for Puck, a day for Rachel – for being caught halfway into their usual end for hot as fuck performances by one Sue Sylvester brings them down from their good spirits. "Babe", he says, later, much later (like, five mind-blowing orgasms later), "that was the hottest thing ever. But, from now on? Put Shakira into that for-bedroom-only list I know you have".


	16. Thank God For Nana

**Author's Note: **Prompt by katiebeth26. Rachel gets slushied and Puck 'just so happens' to have a shirt that is Rachel's size in his locker. The shirt reads _The Future Mrs. Puckerman_. Spoilers to 'Special Education' and 'A Very Glee Christmas'.

**Disclaimer: **Nope.

**thank God for Nana**

**A**s it frequently happened, it was someone who often offered him guidance that led him to end up with an awesome girlfriend – again. The first time, it had been God, through a dream, plus a little prompting of his ma.

This time, it was Nana Connie. See, last Hanukkah she gave him a package for him to give to Rachel as a family gift. "She's a very nice, pretty and gifted young woman, Noah. And she's _Jewish_", Nana said the last word very meaningfully, and Puck rolled his eyes. Rachel was beautiful, legit, but she could be so fugly he wouldn't be able to fuck her with a brown paper bag on and his Nana and his Ma still would consider her a 'nice, pretty, gifted young woman'.

So, he took the gift with him to school, but then the whole 'Fintana-fuck' revelation happened, then sectionals happened, then their holiday make-out session happened and then, winter break happened. The gift was left forgotten in his locker. Its fate, it seemed, was to never go to Rachel's possession.

That is, until today.

Karofsky was on a fury rampage, for fuck knew what reasons. He had slushied Artie, pushed Tina against the lockers, mocked Mercedes for her weight, teased Mike and slammed unnecessarily forcefully against Finn and Sam during practice. So far he had left Rachel, Santana, Brittany, Quinn and Lauren alone, but unfortunately Rachel's peace ran out before lunch.

Puck was by his locker, picking up his battered notebook, back turned to Rachel who was going through her notes for glee, when he heard a loud gasp and the crowing laughter of the students filling the hall. Turning around, his blood boiled when he saw Rachel, all covered in red ice. Cherry.

She hated cherry.

Sam and Mike, who were around, managed to slam Karofsky against the lockers, Finn bashing his head against them. Puck himself, however, was busy trying to help Rachel clean up. "Hey, babe", he said quietly, picking up the sealed package inside his own locker and the towel she kept for cleanliness purposes and intertwining his fingers with hers, pulling her gently towards the nearest bathroom. "Let's get you sorted out, okay?"

Rachel nodded, still half-blind by the ice and syrup hitting her eyeballs, and quietly followed him. Once inside, he sent her to the stalls to change, eyes widening when she walked out, towel wrapped around her shoulders, and a white tank top with **Future Mrs. Puckerman** written in loopy cursive font across her chest. Her lacy black bra appeared underneath the soft, pristine fabric, and Puck had to swallow thickly.

Somehow, the small kinkiness of Berry wearing black lace and his name made her a million times hotter. Go figure.

"C'mon, Berry. Sit down. Let's wash the gunk out", he mumbled, mentally preparing himself for the rant he knew would be thrown his way since there was no way she hadn't seen the words.

But the rant never came. Instead, Rachel hummed quietly to a nameless tune, eyes closed as he cleaned her hair out of ice and syrup the best he could without dousing her in water. The quietness didn't last too long, however. "Noah?"

"Hum?"

"Why did you have a shirt my size on your locker?"

He sighed. "Ma and Nana Connie bought it to you. As a Hanukkah gift". He turned the tap off and took her by the hand, pulling her up, then sitting on the chair and pulling her to sit on his knee like she had done all those months ago. She nodded slowly, questions swimming in her eyes, and Puck sighed. "I was supposed to give it to you back in December, but everything happened and I sort of forgot".

A tiny chuckle escaped her lips and she nodded, looking down at her new shirt and fidgeting nervously with its hem. Puck sighed. "Yeah… Sorry about the whole 'Mrs. Puckerman' thing".

"Yes, I was wondering…?" She trailed off, and he shrugged.

"You're a hot Jew girl, babe. And they're crazy", he offered as an explanation, and she laughed and nodded. "I can drive you home to change if you want", he suggested.

A pretty blush covered her cheeks, and she bit her lower lip shyly. "No, that's… That's okay, Noah. It doesn't bother me. Unless…" She looked wonderingly at him, and he snorted.

"It's fucking hot, babe. It sure as hell doesn't bother _me_". His hand came to rest on her thigh, and he caressed the smooth fabric of her skirt, feeling the firmness of her leg underneath. "Hey, babe… Maybe you want to come over later… You know, to work on glee stuff?"

She smiled timidly and nodded.

Later that same afternoon, Connie Puckerman had to contain a squeal when she heard the door open and Noah's voice, accompanied by Rachel Berry's angelic tones. She appeared at the living room doorway and watched her grandson and her future granddaughter walk together, her talking animatedly about something and Noah listening to her looking quite smitten. As his young eyes met her older, wiser ones, they shared a smile and she mouthed 'you're welcome' before retreating back to her soap operas, mind filled with hazel-green eyed babies with dark hair and talent for singing.


	17. Promise To Be True

**Author's Note: **Prompt by gabi_in_wndrlnd. The song is 'If I Fell', which, alas, I lovelovelovelove. To work, please search for Adam Levine's cover of this song, which I listened while writing this. For Ash because her birthday is coming up. Love you baby!

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

**promise to be true**

**T**hey're doing this dance where they hook up with each other every chance they have, but none of them takes that leap of faith and makes things official. They don't put labels, but it's common knowledge that Puck hasn't been sleeping around, and if looks could kill, half the male population of McKinley would be dead by now.

So, basically, they're dating, but they don't call each other boyfriend and girlfriend. Not surprising considering the last girl Puck tried to date properly was Quinn – and being called a Lima loser doesn't actually do wonders for a guy's self-esteem. Rachel's dating history isn't much better. Her first boyfriend (also known as her 'unlabelled male friend') (thought he) was in love with his boy's girl. The second one broke up with her to go out on a date with two cheerleaders and, when he came to his senses, it was too late – Rachel had already moved on to boyfriend number three.

BF #3 wasn't much better either – he approached her because his glee coach (her mother) wanted him to seduce ("Befriend!") her, and then he ended things with a Queen song and an egg to her forehead. Then Rachel went back to BF #2, only to find out by her then-nemesis (now BFF) that he had been lying to her about being a virgin (his V-card had been conveniently swiped by her now BFF), and, in a desperate attempt to numb the pain, make out with BF #1.

(Yes, it's quite messy. If you miss a day of school, you miss a bunch of glee love-life-related gossip. Try and catch up).

All things considered, no surprise that Berry and Puck are quite reluctant to put a label on their quite committed… Uh… 'Arrangement'.

But all this changes today.

Because today Noah Puckerman is tired of Rachel Berry being his girl but not.

Today he makes his move. Marks his territory. Claims his girl.

It's ballad week again in glee, and everyone has put their work forward, but Noah, that is. She has been quite adamant that he tells her what he's singing, but he had refused quite vehemently telling her to chill. He's the last one to perform after Sam who serenades Santana with Backstreet Boys' 'Spanish Eyes' (she'll never understand what's up with that boy and boy bands). The tiny brunette leans in, anxiously waiting for her male friend to start his performance.

It's pretty simple, really: he sits in a stool in the middle of the room, his faithful guitar leaning lazily against his thigh, and strums the strings delicately. His eyes lock with hers, and tears well in hers when she recognizes the tune, an old Beatles ballad.

_If I fell in love with you, would you promise to be true_

_And help me understand?_

_Cause I've been in love before_

_And I found that love was more than just holding hands_

Her breath catches in her throat and, by her side, Santana grips her hand. The other girls make a cooing noise of appreciation, Artie and Mike are grinning approvingly, Mr. Schue seems surprised but pleased. Her heart swells with emotion for this man, the young man she secretly shares her heart with. He's singing to her _again_, and this time there's no one else in her mind but him. Thank God.

By the corner of his eye, Puck catches Finn's scowling expression. As usual, his now very firmly ex-best friend is pissed that Rachel is moving on. Rachel herself, however, stares at him with stars in her eyes and a grin in her lips that he wants to kiss away.

_If I give my heart to you, you must be sure_

_From the very start that you would love more than her_

_If I trust in you, oh, please – don't run and hide_

_If I love you too, oh, please – don't hurt my pride like her_

His eyes move quickly from Rachel to Quinn, who nods silently, a regretful expression on her face. Shunned once again by her peers, but this time by the ones who held out a hand to her when she needed, because of her own actions towards the one boy that treated her like a princess after the mess of last year.

Rachel's eyes discretely make the same route, Quinn smiling weakly at her former nemesis. The brunette knows the extent of the damage to her male friend provoked by the blonde's hurtful comments. But the deepest blow to Noah's masculine pride and self-esteem had been Quinn's refusal to allow him raise Beth. And Rachel, bit by bit, is slowly mending it back together, by allowing Noah to do things for her that are blatantly male – like fixing a broken tire, killing a cockroach, fixing stuff around her house… Sexist? Maybe. But it's her way to help him, and help it does.

She's crying quietly when he's done with the song and the room holds their breath. The brunette smiles softly as she stands in front of him, their eyes locked the entire time, and she lifts to her tiptoes as she leans in and whispers words in his ear that put a big, genuine smile on his face.

And when they kiss, their teammates know: Rachel Berry and Noah Puckerman are in a labeled relationship. They're boyfriend and girlfriend.

(As they should have been since slushies to the face, mash-ups and 'Sweet Caroline')


	18. The Note

**Author's Note: **It's been quite a while! Fill for smartalli's prompt over the Puck/Rachel Drabble Meme.

**The Note**

**T**hey're packing up Noah's stuff to move to New York (he's attending NYU in the fall. Plan is to major in engineering) when his mother squeaks in surprise and comes out of his closet with an old, battered shoe box and a big grin on her face. Noah is standing on a corner of the bedroom going over what books he'll take with him to the loft he and Rachel are sharing in the city, while Rachel herself is carefully applying tape to the latest box she just filled. "I can't believe you still have this, Noah", Anne Puckerman says as she cleans the dust sitting on the lid off and wrinkles her nose slightly, sitting down on his stripped mattress.

"Huh?" He says, looking over to her and then to the box now sitting on the mattress next to his mother, lid on its side, Anne going through the contents with a nostalgic little smile on her face. "Oh…" He breathes, "I didn't even remember that was still in there somewhere", he says quietly and Rachel looks over, puzzled, looking intently at the box before looking up at her boyfriend of a year and a half.

She gasps. "Noah, are you… Are you **blushing**?" She says, and he bites his lower lip before Anne looks over at her then at her son.

"You never showed her this?"

"Ma…" Noah rolls his eyes. "I just said I didn't know it was still here. I thought I had thrown it out years ago".

"Excuse me, but can anyone tell me what's in this box?" Rachel asks, and Anne chuckles.

"I'll let Noah do that. I have to go check up on Nina anyway". Anne stands up and pats her son's cheek gently before leaving the room. Curious, Rachel paddles over and sits down, legs crossed in lotus position, watching Noah carefully and curiously.

"Just look", he says as he puts the box on her lap, and she obeys.

She gasps softly as she recognizes maybe two dozens of mementos of their shared childhood. But what catches her eye first is a faded picture of three young kids, a girl sandwiched by two boys. "Oh, my God", she breathes as she picks the picture up and places the box by her side, examining the scene captured in film.

The little girl's arm is looped around the neck of the taller, visibly older one. She recognizes the girl right away – it's her, when she was four, maybe five years old, smiling, all happy and wide, and the older boy has a small, mischievous smile on his childishly beautiful face. He has curly hair and blue-grey eyes that sparkle. The child reminds her of someone but she can't remember who. Her eyes slide to the second boy pictured, and she chuckles, because it's clearly Noah. The boy Noah is scowling at the photographer, eyes a stormy golden brown, arms crossed in front of his chest.

She turns the picture in search of any clues to the identity of the other boy, and gasps, looking up at Noah in shocked surprise. _Rachel, Noah and Jesse, July 1999._

"We knew Jesse St. James?" She breathes in surprise, and he sighs and nods.

"You don't remember?" She shakes her head no and he takes the picture off her hand, smiling softly as he remembers. "We were always neighbors, Rachel, and always best friends. We used to play solely with each other, to the point where Ma and your dads got concerned. Until St. James arrived to spend the summer with his relatives – an aunt and an uncle, I think. And of course he swept you off your baby midget feet. I was…" He clears his throat, nervously, and carries on, "I was jealous, and it got worse when I arrived late one day and he announced to the entire park that you were his girlfriend. That was when someone took this photo. I remember I stormed off and then dropped a letter on your house later that day".

"Oh… That makes sense now" She chuckles quietly, and he looks at her, curious. "You see, when Dad was cleaning the attic he found a box with things from my childhood too. I was going through it when I found this", she slips her hand into the back pocket of her shorts and pulls out a wrinkled, folded piece of paper. She hands it over to him, and he unfolds it before smoothing it over, gasping in surprise as he reads the words, written in the messy calligraphy of a six year old.

_Im angry at you and im not talking to you today and tomorrow._

_P.S all day._

_P.S.S I still love you._

He looks up at her, surprise on his face, and she's smiling softly when she carries on, "I asked daddy about it. He chuckled when he saw it and said I cried all day and all night when I read this. I asked who it was from and he told me to ask you".

He smiles softly and wraps his arms around her, pulling her close. She smiles and kisses his jaw. "It was always you, Rach. Even when I was too blind and stubborn and stupid".

(He puts a star sticker on St. Jerk's face on the picture. The photo goes to the mantelpiece of their home).

**The End**

**Prompt: **The note itself.


	19. First Times: Rachel

**Author's Note: **It's been quite a while! Fill for smartalli's prompt over the Puck/Rachel Drabble Meme.

**First Times: Rachel**

_**Y**__ou see, Lima's Jewish community is small. Like, really, _**really**_ small. There's only one temple that everyone attends. It's like one big, nosey, caring family, and if it is this small now that they're teens, you imagine how small it was when they were children._

_So, it was no surprise that the second word got out that Hiram and I brought our baby girl home, the entire community came down to our house, bringing food, baby things and wanting to know the newest member (and potential daughter-in-law) of our circle. Rachel was a tiny thing back then, pale olive skin, wide brown eyes and a tuft of soft dark hair, looking around curiously as she drank everyone in. She was always a very social child, never fussing, a social butterfly from day one._

_One of the last ones to visit was Anne Puckerman, mother to one-year-old Noah. And Noah was everything Rachel was not. Noah was rambunctious, loud, energetic, a true boy. He was barely walking them, but Anne always had to keep an eye out on him, because he tended to run (read, wobble) on his chubby feet, fall and crash into something (or someone). And he was so stubborn. He refused to cry even though he was hurting with quivery lips._

_So you can imagine how reluctant Anne was to come to our house visit our newborn daughter. She feared he would make so much noise it would disturb the baby, but eventually she came, always telling Noah to be quiet because the baby was sleeping. Noah was giggling and playing with a plush car, but he nodded and said "'Kay, mama", like he understood what she was saying (I don't doubt he was. He was always a smart child)._

_I had Rachel in my arms when Anne, Hiram and Noah came in her nursery. She was three months old now, curious and smart, giggling and smiling, mostly an easy baby. But the personality she grew to have was already showing: she was very demanding of our attention, loving to be cuddled and carried around. And the minute Anne walked in, Rachel was _**wailing**_ and Noah was already antsy, having decided he had been quiet for far too long. He was fidgeting in Anne's lap, so she put him down with a sigh, and he padded over to the rocking chair where I was sitting with Rachel, who was now very quiet, looking curiously at this unknown child. Noah looked at her very seriously and then looked up at me. "Baby?"_

_I nodded. "Rachel"._

_He nodded back, looked at her for a long moment and then announced, "Pwetty!" before he plopped down near the rocking chair and entertained himself with his plush car. And he remained sitting on the nursery playing with his toy throughout the visit, much to his mother's shock._

"And now here we are. Twenty four years later, celebrating the engagement of that loud, rambunctious, energetic boy – now a rambunctious, energetic, driven young man – to my social butterfly of a daughter. And I have to say that deep down I always knew he'd be a part of her life. Ever since the first time they met, Noah always calmed Rachel down, no matter the state of mind she was in. Sure they had their moments of estrangement – those awful two years where Noah was busy being Puck and Rachel was busy trying to find her place in the world, dating other boys and growing up – but in the end, they always found their path back to each other. And now they're starting a new path – together. To Noah and Rachel".

**Prompt: **The first time Puck ever saw Rachel.


	20. First Times: Puck

**Author's Note: **It's been quite a while! Fill for smartalli's prompt over the Puck/Rachel Drabble Meme.

**First Times: Puck.**

_**R**__achel was ten months old when she started speaking. And, other than her fathers, her favorite person in the entire world was my son, Noah. Hiram, Leroy, Aaron and I were neighbors and our children always got together to play. Noah was a very active boy, always running around getting himself in trouble, but the one moment he was quiet was whenever he was nearby Rachel. He was extremely careful of the 'baby' – that was how he called her – always playing with her, never running around her and always making silly antics that had her laughing her cute baby laugh and him smiling all proud and happy._

_Hiram and Leroy loved music and, according to what they told me, so did the woman they had chosen as their surrogate womb. Ever since she was three months old, Rachel could coo in tune and, from the moment she was six months old, she would move her little baby body up and down to the beat of every song she heard. But other than the sweet mumblings of a baby, she didn't speak a word. She would babble brightly, a string of sounds that couldn't be called words, but she had yet to articulate something clear and understandable._

_It all changed when she was ten months old. It was the fourth of July and I was over the Berry place helping Hiram put together the side dishes for the barbeque Leroy and Aaron had planned to cook, Rachel sitting happily on her playpen, messing around with her music box and cooing as usual. Aaron had taken Noah with him and Leroy to buy the steaks and burgers and coal they would need, and I was soaking up on the peace and silence while I could, because I knew the moment my husband came back I would be forced to keep an eye on my whirlwind of a son. Today it wasn't going to be just our families, so it was a sure thing that Noah would be all over the place, little daredevil that he was._

_Hiram and I were talking about the newest addition to our temple – the Ben-Israel couple, parents to a girl, Arianna, and a boy Rachel's age, Jacob – when Rachel squealed and began babbling excitedly. "Three, two, one…" I counted quietly, Hiram chuckling as he turned around._

"_BABY!" Noah yelled, running straight into the safety net of Rachel's playpen. Rachel giggled and wobbled up, leaning against the edge of the playpen, babbling excitedly as she put her small hand on Noah's cheek, which was smudged with coal. Leroy and Aaron walked in, chuckling at the children, and I hurried up to pick the groceries' bag, while Leroy smacked a kiss on Rachel's crown and walked to the house, undoubtedly to find some matches (it was almost noon and they had still to light up the fire to barbeque the meat)._

_It was quiet for a while, Noah playing with his action figures, Rachel giggling and bouncing still clinging tightly to the edge of the playpen, we adults busying ourselves with things for the cookout, when it happened._

_A girly, tiny voice squealed, "PUCK!"_

_My eyes widened, Hiram and Leroy gasped and Aaron chuckled. "What did you say, baby girl?" Aaron asked, a small smirk on his face as he crouched down to Rachel's level._

"_PUCK!" Rachel squealed again, giggling. "Puck, Puck, Puck, Puck, Puck!" She said as she leant towards Noah, a big grin on her chubby, rosy face. "PUCK!"_

"_Oh, sweet Lord", I breathed._

Twenty five years later, I can't help but smile as my son twirls his new fiancée on the dance floor, the memory of Rachel's first word vivid in my mind. Rachel isn't that innocent little girl anymore, Noah isn't the happy little boy and it's been years since I last saw Aaron. But, as I hear Noah say, "You're gonna be a Puck, babe", I feel misty-eyed.

And I make a mental note to tell Noah and Rachel this story so they can tell their own children.

**Prompt: **The first time Rachel ever saw Puck.


	21. in an instant, all is changed

**Author's Note: **Prompt by xxxalexandraxxx.

**in an instant, all is changed**

**T**en years.

A whole decade has gone by since he last saw Rachel. It was in graduation, after their last year together. Never be said that Rachel Berry isn't a woman of word. When they got back from Nationals, she told him she was to leave to New York after graduation and leave she did. She packed her bags and moved to NY and only needed two years to take Broadway by storm. He stayed back in Ohio, went to Ohio State and settled in Columbus. He's a sports journalist.

He's still single.

No one knows anything about Rachel's life. For someone who was so open back in high school, after being shot to stardom in a revival of _Oklahoma!_ she became quite the super-private Broadway starlet. He knows she's close with Kurt and Blaine (who went to Tisch and NYU respectively) – he has seen pictures from the three of them on the internet and Kurt's facebook page. Quinn (who's now a real-estate agent and married to, surprise, surprise, Matt) says Mercedes mentions Rachel, so the two divas who bonded in junior year are still in touch.

He grits his teeth together when he reminds that _Jesse St. James_ is another of Rachel's friends. For a while there were rumors of them being an item, but then St. James began dating a lawyer and is now married and Rachel was his best woman. So he knows St. Berry is only onstage now.

He has been asking around their old friends about news from her love life but no one knows. Quinn says Mercedes refuses to discuss Rachel's private business. Tina and Mike are too busy traveling around the world choreographing and being a fashion stylist to gossip about old friends. Santana flat out says she knows but it's none of his business. Brittany is always giggling and saying Rachel's fine. Artie, the third party in that relationship, smirks but says nothing.

Puck went MIA immediately after graduation and, for all Finn knows, his former best friend can be as good as dead.

So he has no idea of how Rachel's life is besides the fact that she's now 27 with a bunch of Tonys to her belt. Determined to change that – and hoping to make Finchel a reality again – he manages to sweet-talk his boss into transferring him to the NYC branch of their paper. A little snooping around and, six months after moving into the city, here he is.

In front of Rachel Berry's building.

His hands are clammy as he crosses the small distance between him and the building's front door. A tall, beautiful girl with long chestnut brown hair and hazel eyes gets out of it and looks at him funny when he holds the door open and smiles gratefully at her before slipping in the warmed-up hall. A quick look at the mailboxes reveals a little plaque with the name 'Berry' affixed to the box number 1501.

Finn's mouth dries up. It's the penthouse.

As he rides up towards the 15th floor, he wipes his sweaty palms on his pants. He has no idea why he is so nervous. It's Rachel. Sure, it's been ten years since he last saw her, but they parted on good terms. He made up for her for the lousy boyfriend he was before Nationals and she promised him he was someone she called a friend.

Here's hoping she can call him something more, again.

In what looks like the blink of an eye the lift beeps and the doors slide open and he stands in the penthouse hall. He squares his shoulders, takes a deep breath, marches towards the door with the number 1501 on it and presses the doorbell. A soft wind bell-like noise rings and he fidgets as he hears hurried steps approaching the closed door.

He gapes when it opens.

In front of him, stands the most beautiful little girl he has ever seen. No older than five, she is Rachel's spitting image: naturally pale-tanned skin, long dark hair curling slightly at the ends, generous pink lips. But her eyes… Her hazel-green eyes are eerily familiar. He has seen these eyes before, but in whose face?

"Yes?" The little girl asks, curiously but politely. "Can I help you?"

"Uh, yes, I think so. I'm a friend of your mommy. Is she home?"

The little girl shakes her head negatively, her luscious locks hitting gently against her cheeks. "No, sorry", she says, looking disappointedly up at him. "She's at the workshop for her new play with Uncle Jesse". Then, after a moment, she perks up. "But daddy is! Will it help if I call him?"

"Uh… Sure, I guess", Finn says hesitantly. The little girl nods but before she can move a deep, male voice sounds, moving towards the open door.

"Hilary, who's at the door, baby?"

Finn gapes _again_.

* * *

**H**ilary is taking too long at the door, so Noah grows worried and puts a t-shirt on before going to find his daughter. Rachel's out for the afternoon on the workshop for _Chicago_ with Jesse and Sarah just went out for a date with her boyfriend and he promised Rachel he'd put their hyperactive five-year-old – Hilary Caroline Puckerman – for a nap before focusing on writing songs for Bon Jovi's new album.

He overhears Hilary talking to someone at the door and frowns. They're not expecting any visitors. "Hilary, who's at the door, baby?" He calls out, approaching the front entrance hall of their kickass penthouse (which Rachel inherited from her loaded grandparents) and halting to a stop when he comes face to face with someone he hasn't seen in ten years. "Crap", he mumbles as he stands directly behind his daughter. "Baby, why don't you go pop in the 'Beauty and The Beast' DVD? Daddy'll catch up with you later, kay?"

"But, Daddy-"

"Hilary", Puck says sternly, and Hilary sighs and storms out, pouting. Puck chuckles as his daughter's dramatic antics remind him of Rachel on her age. Once he catches the faint sounds of the DVD – Hilary's all-time favorite Disney movie – he steps out to the foyer and closes the door behind him. "Finn. How can I help you?"

Finn is still gaping, mouth opening and closing but no words coming out, and Puck snaps his fingers in front of his former best friend's face. "Finn!" He calls out, rolling his eyes when Finn startles. "Hurry up, dude, I have a daughter who won't be distracted by Belle too long. What do you want?"

"You married _Rachel_?" Finn screeches. "When?"

Puck narrows his eyes when something clicks in his mind. Mercedes, Santana and Artie have been warning him for some time now that Finn's been making questions about Rachel, but he dismissed it as just Finn being his clueless curious self. "Oh fuck no. It's none of your business. Dude, it's been ten years. Move the fuck on already!"

"But-"

"No buts. She told you she was leaving Lima behind and she did. That meant she left you behind too. She's now mine and no way in hell I'm letting go of my girl again. Get lost, Hudson. Or I swear to God I'm going to give you the proper ass-kicking Rachel always talked me out of giving you back in high school". With that, Puck walks back in and slams the door closed. Hilary, eyes full of sleep, appears.

"Who was that, daddy?"

His eyes take in the adorable vision of his beautiful daughter and he softens instantly. Fuck she looks so much like Rachel it never fails to turn him into a big softie. "Hey, baby", he says quietly as he takes her in his arms. Hilary snuggles against him, her sweet warm breath puffing against his neck, and he presses a kiss to the crown of her head. "You sleepy?"

"Uh-hummm…" Hilary mumbles. "He said he was a friend of mommy's".

"He was no one, baby", he says quietly, walking past pictures of his life with Rachel towards their master bedroom so they could settle for Hilary's nap. "He was no one. Sweet dreams".

* * *

**Prompt: **Ten years after high school, Finn comes to New York in search of Rachel Berry - only to have a five-year-old little girl with hazel eyes and dark curls open the door. Mommy's not home but daddy is.

FYI Puck is the daddy


	22. the request

**Author's Note: **Wow, it has been a while since I filled one of these! Well, what doesn't Ash (gleek06216) ask that I would gladly write? She asked for Raine friendship and Puckleberry, and coincidentally, I found this prompt on the Puck/Rachel Drabble Meme at LJ and it just worked for what she wanted. Isn't it amazing when things like that happen? Happy Holidays, baby girl, and thank you for everything you've done for me this year. You're an amazing sister and I just love you so much!

Set in the future. Hints of spoilers for the St. Berry relationship throughout the seasons. Prompt by ofsoapsuds.

**tales of hot, talented Jews.**

_**#22: **the request_

**S**he's nearly in tears by the time she walks past the door that she opens with the key Kurt gave her when he moved out of their apartment and in with Blaine. He has been with Blaine again for three years now since Blaine moved to the city after going to school in Los Angeles, and she has been with Noah for five years since he finally managed to move to NY after two years of going to University of Chicago. Most of their friends (Kurt and Blaine included) are either engaged or married, but she and Noah have been refusing to walking down the aisle, not because they aren't committed to each other and to their relationship (they are); it's just that they don't need a piece of paper to know they'll belong to each other forever.

But last night Noah asked for something and she doesn't know if she's capable of giving him what he wants. She needs to talk to her best friends, and that's why she's sneaking in Kurt's apartment. He's not going to be home for a few hours, and Jesse (who followed Blaine to NY – they became best friends while in California, surprising everyone but her – she always thought they were remarkably similar in a handful of ways) isn't picking up her calls, só Blaine's her choice to discuss what she needs to discuss.

"Blaine?" She calls out, hating the edge of hysterics in her voice, because she doesn't do hysterical, she never did, not even when she was an insecure sixteen-year-old eager to please. "Blaine!"

"I'm here", his voice comes muffled from the spare room both he and Kurt use as a home office, and she goes that way, taking off her shoes and dropping her purse in their plush couch, her fingers running nervously through her highlighted hair. He's sitting at the dest, papers spread in front of him and his eyes strangely blank. "Hey", he says quietly, pushing the papers a little away from him and sitting back at his chair.

"Okay, so Kurt's not here, and Jesse's not answering his phone, and I have a thing so I need you to be a girl for me", the words leave her lips so quick she doesn't have the time to breath, but Blaine, used that he is with her rapid-fire talking, narrows his eyes a little bit (she can see the protective-older-brother streak in him coming out to play, and she can't help but love him a little more for that).

"What did he do?" He whispers, standing up and starting to walk towards her, to where she's pacing back and forth, tugging at her hair anxiously. She stops midway through her going and sighs, dropping into the empty chair across to where he was previously sitting. He takes the chair next to her and waits as she processes what she needs him to know. "You want me to kick his ass?"

"Noah wants me to have a baby" she blurts out, and he gapes at her for a moment as the words sink in.

"Oh", he makes, and she nods, suddenly looking drained. "So, you **do** want me to kick his ass?"

"Blaine!" She exclaims, an involuntary snort escaping her lips. She leans forward, rests her head on her hands and keeps quiet. The silence stretches between them for a long time, and Blaine is the one who breaks it, his voice soft.

"So... Do **you **wanna have a baby?" He asks in a whisper. A second snort escapes her, and she leans back, eyes expressionless when she fixes them at his handsome face.

"A **baby** doesn't want **me**", she can't stress the words enough, because she knows no one will understand just how much they matter (Jesse, she thinks, would, having witnessed first hand just how broken she was over the whole Shelby mess in her sophomore year). "I mean, I had the worst mother in the world. That means **I** would be the worst mother in the world, because I had no role model at all!"

"Kurt wants a divorce", he blurts out, and Rachel gasps, eyes widening as she stares at him, shock clearly coloring her features. "He sent the papers. The official papers, that is".

"Oh, Blaine!" She exclaims, standing up and rushing towards him. She eases herself into his lap and cradles his face against her shoulder, pressing her cheek into his hair. "I'm so sorry. Do you want **me** to kick his ass?"

He laughs a little, and squeezes her a little tighter, the gesture expressing all the words that he can't find in himself to say. They have become so close in the years they know each other; since they first co-starred in _West Side Story_, and then after, she was one of the few people who kept in touch with him during college, and **she** was the one to cheer him on forging a friendship with Jesse. He had been extremely reluctant to do so, knowing just how fractured her relationship with the former Vocal Adrenaline lead and coach was, but she had been the one to tell him they were okay. "Jesse and I understand each other down to the most basic levels, Blaine. We didn't work out as lovers, but he's one of my best friends. He understands me in a way nor Kurt, neither Noah can. He'll be the same for you, I just know it", she had told him, and, as usual, she had been right. The three of them have become like siblings, and they sit in silence for a moment, both soaking in the quiet before their whole lives change in front of their eyes.

"Hey, Blaine!" They hear Noah's voice coming from the living room, and shortly after he walks in the office. She's still sitting on Blaine's lap, and Blaine's cheek is still pressed against his shoulder, his arms around her waist. Noah stops at the doorway, confusion shining in his eyes as he takes on the scene. "Hey...?"

"He's being a girl for me", Rachel explains, smiling fondly at Blaine.

"Okay..." Noah drawls, leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Dude, it's true", Blaine laughs as he pushes Rachel up and stands up himself.

"Whatever", Noah rolls his eyes and plops down on the seat Rachel vacated. Blaine's heart breaks a little for the tension he feels between the couple, and he clears his throat a little nervously. "So... We still on for lunch?" Noah asks, and Blaine nods. The former left tackle stands up and leaves the room, and Rachel sighs deeply.

"Hey", the former Warbler says. He keeps quiet until she looks at him. "You'll be an amazing mom. **Amazing**", he whispers, pressing his forehead to hers.

"Really?" She asks, hopefully.

"Yep", he quips, kissing her forehead tenderly. "I promise".

Nine months later, when she gives birth to a baby girl to a room full of men – Jesse is there, and so are the newly-divorced Kurt and Blaine – she has her eyes filled with tears when she announces the name she secretly picked as soon as she knew she was having a daughter. "Isabella Raine Puckerman", she says, the baby girl snuggled in the curve of her arm, the tip of her finger tracing the child's tiny face.

"Raine?" Noah questions, confused, and Jesse chuckles.

"Rachel and Blaine combined. Really, Rach?" The former VA lead asks, and Rachel smiles tearfully up at Blaine, who has tears in his eyes as well.

"If it weren't for Blaine, she wouldn't be here".

Nodding in understanding, Noah gives Blaine's shoulder a slap. "Thank you, man".

"No..." Blaine whispers, looking at Rachel, who is wiping her eyes with a grateful smile. "Thank **you**".


	23. you drive me crazy

**Author's Notes: **Well, look at that. I'm writing Puckleberry again. Ash, I'd blame you if I weren't so happy. While reading this, please, please, remember that I haven't watched a single episode from Glee's season four. I know Rachel's in NYC, having kicked Finn to the curb (hallelujah!), being the NYADA underdog, bullied by her dance teacher and trying to have a relationship with a Jesse-wannabe who slept with said dance teacher.

But as I watched the 'Crazy/ (You Drive Me) Crazy' performance from "Britney 2.0", I couldn't help but see the similarities between Jake Puckerman, Marley Rose, Noah Puckerman and Rachel Berry. I mean, c'mon! A brunette gleek diva having a moment with a bad-ass boy on the bleachers? Jarley is the season 4's version of Puckleberry, not Finchel! So, even though I'm a slight Farley shipper (blame the 'Don't Dream, It's Over' performance), this little gem is Puckleberry-flavored with a side dish of Jarley.

**tales of hot, talented Jews**

_**#23:**__ you drive me crazy (crazy, crazy for you baby)_

**P**uck's heart clenched as he watched the half-brother he never knew he had singing with the girl he knew was supposed to be New Directions' replacement for his hot little Jewish-American princess. Licking his suddenly dry lips, he could almost see him and Rachel having their… moment, for lack of a better word… on those same bleachers sophomore year.

The timing for him and Rachel was so fucking off it was stupid. He had been trying to prove to Quinn he could be a decent dad to the little girl she was carrying in her belly, while Rachel had been busier drooling after his stupid excuse of a best friend. And when they could have had their shot, Finn, who was stupid but wasn't blind, had made him promise he would keep his paws off Rachel.

Asshole.

So, yeah. The timing had been off for him and Rachel. But it could be right for Jake and this Marley chick. McKinley's 2012 version of Quinn – a.k.a. Kitty (who in the fucking hell named their kid like that?) – hadn't still sunk her claws too deep into Jake, after all, and if Puck had his way, she would never do that to his brother. He'd be damned if he allowed another Puckerman let the right girl for him slip through his fingers like sand.

He had lost Rachel to first Finn and now New York, but Jake would keep Marley.

His musings were rudely interrupted by a voice he hadn't heard in nearly three months. "What are you looking at so attentively, Noah?"

Gasping, the mohawked boy turned around and came face to face with the one girl he had just been thinking about. Her hair was lighter and she was wearing bangs again, dressed in skinny black jeans and a simple white t-shirt, high-heeled boots on her feet. She looked like the hottest biker chick he had ever seen.

"Damn, Berry. The big city is good for you, babe. You look hot", he whistled appreciatively, fighting back a smirk as he noticed the blooming red stains in her cheeks.

"Thank you, Noah", she said shyly, before focusing back on the pair on the bleachers. "Who are those?" She asked quietly, awed at the beautiful scene composed by a young couple singing for each other under the setting sun.

"Those", Puck made a grand gesture with his hand towards Jake and Marley, "are Puck and Berry, the 2012 version. You can also call her Marley Rose. She's the new chick with dark hair and a powerhouse voice."

"What about him?" Rachel asked, truly curious.

"I already told you who he is, babe. He's McKinley's new Puck. Literally".

A small gasp escaped Rachel as his cryptic words finally sank in and made sense. "You mean he's…"

"My brother. Yeah. That bastard of a sperm donor I have for a father screwed up some other kid's life." Puck clenched his fists as he breathed harshly, trying to keep his cool. Blowing up in anger at Berry wouldn't do any of them any good, even though he knew she would understand and wouldn't hold it against him.

The feel of her small, warm hand on his bicep drained whatever anger Puck had felt bubbling within him. Looking away from Marley and Jake (who were flirting and singing to their hearts' content on the bleachers, oblivious to their small audience), he focused his attention on Rachel, who was looking at him with her dark eyes full of concern.

"I'm sorry, Noah."

"It wasn't your fault, babe", he said gruffly, pointedly turning his back to his brother and his girl, his arm dropping from its place around Rachel's shoulder. After a few deep breaths to get his mind back on track, he offered Rachel a small smirk. "Have you heard that the kid and that chick are being called the new Finchel?"

Rachel blinked at him in disbelief for a moment, before bursting out in laughter. "Seriously? Oh, God." Tears of laughter ran down her cheeks, and, still laughing, she hurried to wipe her eyes. "It doesn't make any sense! If he's a Puckerman, and she's the new me, then they can't be Finchel. They're Puckleberry!"

"With a happier ending, I hope", he mumbled under his breath, and Rachel gave him a side glance, a small, sad smile on her face.

"If she's smart, she'll see everything she ever wanted and tried to find in other guys is standing right in front of her, just waiting for his chance", she whispered. "It's too late for me, but it's still possible for her".

Puck gaped at her in disbelief. "Who the fuck made you think it's too late for us, B?"

Rachel shrugged, but kept silent. But Puck knew her better than she knew herself, and he knew she wouldn't be able to bear the silence between them, so he waited. Eventually, she gave in. "Isn't it, Noah? I mean… You could have made a move two years ago, but you stayed away. And last year you were busy sleeping with my mother-" He flinched when she mentioned this, but there was no venom in her voice – she was simply stating a fact. "- and I was trying not to lose myself between applying to NYADA, being Finn's textbook perfect girlfriend and New Directions' diva". She brushed some invisible lint from her jeans, not daring to look at him. "Now you're in LA and I'm in New York and, while I'm still as realistically romantic as I can be after my disaster of an engagement to Finn last year, I'm not exactly a believer of long distance relationships when the couple in question is unable to see each other just once every three or four months".

"Then we'll make it work", he said, nonchalantly, as if his heart wasn't pounding in hope within his ribcage and his hands weren't slippery with anxious sweat. "I'll pack everything up in LA and haul my ass to the big city." She opened her mouth to clearly protest, so he pressed his palm against her lips to shut up. "I'm not in school, Rach, so it's easy for me to just do that. Plus, you're not asking me to. I'm offering".

Rachel blinked at him, disbelief coloring her face just for a second before a hopeful grin broke out on her lips. "Are you serious?"

Smirking down at her, he wrapped his arm around her waist and hauled her body close to his. Pressing a kiss to her hair, he stood up. "C'mon, my princess, let's get out of here".


	24. lean on me when you're not strong

**Author's Note:** So, while I was browsing through my collection of songs lookin for something to inspire me to write anything for one of my stories, I began listening to this old Westlife tune. It's beautiful and I totally could see Puck singing it to Rachel after her egg-induced breakup with Jesse on season 1. I hope you enjoy it.

Set during 'Funk', immediately after the 'Give Up The Funk' number.

**Disclaimer:** The song belongs to Westlife and the show belongs to Fox and Ryan Murphy, who isn't doing a very good job running it. I'm done with Glee. I want it over. It sucks and I can no longer relate to it, although every now and then they cover songs that catch my eye.

**tales of hot, talented Jews**

_**#24: **__lean on me when you're not strong_

**T**he thing about him and Rachel that no one knew was that, because of the time he had spent preying on her trying to decide when were the best times to throw slushies to her face, back on the old times when he was a BAMF, he got pretty good at reading her. Lately, because of that mess with Hudson and that bastard, St. Jerk, this ability of his has proved to be more useful than ever. She had close to no friends she could confide in on their little band of misfits, and, no matter how much she tried to show she was okay with her breakup with St. Jackass, truth was she really wasn't.

Puck could totally understand it. Like it or not, Jesse was the first smart motherfucker who showed a real interest in Rachel, with whom she shared interests and dreams, to whom she thought of giving herself (even if she changed her mind before she sealed the deal, that was still a big thing with chicks).

(No, he didn't believe when Finn told him Jesse had cashed in Rachel's V-card. See, he's an observant bastard. And Jesse and Rachel didn't act like a couple who was having sex regularly. One can tell that things).

Anyway, bastard was the first to really like Rachel, and the first dude she really liked (Puck doesn't think Rachel realizes she doesn't actually like Finn, only who she thinks Finn is). For that relationship to blow up the way it did, it had to really hurt her, and he was a hundred percent sure it did. Sure, Rachel could really fool those stupid asses at their little club who bought anything she told them. But not him – no, she never could lie to him, no matter how fucking well she did it.

But maybe that was because they knew each other practically from diapers, so there was that.

They had earlier kicked Vocal Adrenaline's ass in musical way, doing the one genre of music those Carmel robots couldn't seem to get right. And, if he could say it himself, they were quite the badasses doing that. Plus, Rachel looked hot as fuck in her little red-pink shorts and tight white blouse. So hot he couldn't help but steal a peek from under her little shorts when he slid down the improvised runway they did onstage, behind Rachel who was strutting her stuff like a pro (and looking very much **over** her stunned now-ex-boyfriend).

So, they sang and they rocked it and he bade them an arrogant farewell by telling them they'd see the punks again in Regionals. Once safely hidden in their newly clean choir room, New Directions celebrated another successful number, with Finn trying to sneak a serious conversation with Rachel, and Rachel staying the fucking hell away from him. Kurt, Mercedes and, surprisingly, Santana helped her keep him away, surrounding her with hugs and praises and concerned looks. But she slapped that million megawatts smile of hers on her face and fooled them right away.

He was the only one to realize she hadn't left after and quietly snuck away – back to the auditorium, he guessed. Discretely so that no one saw him leaving as well and interrupted him on what he was planning to do, he followed her and – bingo! – found her exactly where he knew she would be.

She was still in her costume, only she had her jacket off, and her long dark hair cascaded down her back. She was sitting in the dark, only a single light on, but far away from where she was. It was, however, enough for him to see where she was sitting, not far from Schue's table, curled in one of the seats. He quietly closed the door and silently made his way to where she was, sitting on one of the seats next to hers.

She stiffened for a moment when she realized it was him, but quickly relaxed when he didn't say anything, which made him glad. He was still trying to figure out what to say. He wasn't big on consoling crying chicks, unless the consoling part involved sex, and that definitely would never happen with Rachel.

He finally knew what he had to do and began singing quietly, his voice echoing in the silent, darkened auditorium.

**Hush, now, don't you cry**

**There will be a better day, I promise you**

**We can work it out, but only if you let me know**

**What's on your mind?**

**Baby, you thought it was forever, through any kind of weather**

**But someday, you will find what you're searching for**

Rachel turned him as soon as he started singing, a question on her eyes as she focused on him. "Noah, what…?" She began asking, but when she started to pay attention on the lyrics, he could see the faint light in the room sparkling in the thin veil of tears that pooled in her eyes. She slid as closer to him as she could in the small seat without actually crawling up in his lap, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, rubbing one of her arms comfortingly.

**Try again – never stop believing**

**Try again – don't give up on your love**

**Stumble and fall is the heart of it all**

**So when you fall down…**

… **Just try again**

He saw as the first tear rolled down one of her makeup-free cheeks, and lifted one of his hands to her face, cupping the humid cheek on his palm. His calloused thumb brushed against her warm skin, wiping away the wetness and pressing a small kiss to her forehead. To hell with anyone walking on them: she was single and so was he, so what would be the problem? He tugged her to his lap, rubbing her back reassuringly. Ever since they had dated, earlier that year, he hated to see Rachel crying, and as he felt her wrap her arms around his neck and sob quietly against his shoulder, the urge to find her son of a bitch of an ex and **kill** him hit him stronger than it ever had since he had found her on the parking lot, covered in egg and crying numbly, disbelief clear on her face.

But that could wait, the asshole could wait. Rachel was **way** more important now, and he would be damned if he walked away from her when she clearly needed him. He doubted she had truly cried over everything that had happened, with her dumb mother and that asshole, and if she was crying on him now but would feel better later, then he sure as hell was going to let her!

**Baby, when a heart is crying**

**It sometimes feels like dying and teardrops fall like rain**

**Ooh, oh, baby, you thought it was forever**

**You would always be together**

**But someday, you will find what you're searching for…**

He fell silent as he finished the song, feeling her tears slide against his skin and pool on his cotton-clad shoulder. He would bet his babies (his truck and his guitar) that no one knew that, as loudmouth and demanding as Rachel normally was, she was actually pretty silent when she cried and only those who really knew her could tell when she was crying for real and when she was just shedding crocodile tears to sway someone. Under his arms, he could feel her still shivering, so he silently kept rubbing her back, offering him the unyielding, firm support of his presence, knowing that was what she needed now.

Long minutes later, she finally seemed drained of her tears for the moment and simply curled against him, her breath warm against his skin as she recomposed herself. He felt his cell phone vibrating against his thigh from where it was, shoved inside one of his pants pockets, and she leaned away from where she was, her face full of apologies.

"Your phone is ringing", she whispered needlessly. "I'm sorry, Noah, I should've known…"

He made her trail off by pressing a finger against her lips, shaking his head negatively. "I don't have anything scheduled for today and, even if I did", he added when he saw the disbelief in her eyes, "you're way more important than any Cheerio or cougar. They can wait. This", he made an all-encompassing gesture in her direction, "couldn't. It's probably my mom asking why I'm not home yet and she'll get off my back when I tell her I was offering her favorite Jew a shoulder to cry on".

Her eyes softened gratefully at him, and she giggled when he spoke about his mom; he rolled his eyes, knowing she didn't believe him. How could she, he supposed, when he had kept her from seeing the full extent of his mom's madness when they dated? His mom spent the week they dated going to the synagogue every week, praying in thanks to the good Lord for putting the nicest Jewish chick in Lima on her son's life, and that was the mildest thing Anne Puckerman had done concerning Rachel and Puck's relationship!

(He personally believed she still had the wedding-themed scrapbook she secretly put together for him and Rachel safely stashed somewhere inside her drawers).

"I'm going to hug you now", she told him, and he chuckled.

"Hug it away, baby", he replied with a fond wink, and she giggled, her voice rough from crying.

She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him. With an affectionate smile, clearly relieved to see her smiling again even if briefly, he hugged her back, pressing a tender kiss to her temple. "Thank you, Noah", she whispered in his ear.

"You're welcome, Rach".


	25. there's a light

**Author's Note:** It's that time of the year where my beloved friend Ash (gleek06216) asks and I deliver! I'll explain: Every year since we've met (close to three years now, whoa), Ash gives me a prompt for her Christmas gift and I write it for her. Ash's an amazing fic writer and an even more amazing friend. I'm glad to have met her and I hope the New Year brings plenty of blessings for her. Merry (way late) Christmas, babe!

**Disclaimer:** 'Glee' and the characters you know belong to Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk and FOX. Title is from Rocky Horror's 'There's A Light (Over At The Frankenstein Place)'. Song is Lucy Hale's 'You Sound Good To Me'.

**tales of hot, talented Jews**

_**#25: **__there's a light (in the darkness of everybody's life)_

**S**he had done it.

Her name was in billboards and posters all over New York, bits and pieces of raving reviews advertising her new play. They had opened a little over a month ago, to full rooms and deafening applause. Her level of success was increasing, and she was getting more and more recognition from fans when she left the safety of her home to run daily errands.

She had done it, achieved something she had dreamed since she was a little girl, and still there was a growing, widening hole of emptiness inside her that she knew only one person could fulfill. However, said person was unreachable for her, untouchable, because of something that several other people went through, sadly every day.

Don't get her wrong, she was thankful she had her friends. Dani and Santana lived in the same building she did, same with Kurt and Blaine. Jesse and his fiancée lived nearby, and he was her costar. Quinn had settled for life in Connecticut with a husband that worshipped the ground she walked on, happily expecting the birth of their first baby. Sam had made the city his home base, his safe haven to where he ran whenever his busy modeling career allowed him some free time. Artie was making waves in Boston, and they had been talking about her having a role in his new movie when her contract with the play was up.

Even friends that she had lost touch a long time ago had found their surprising way back to her life. Matt was the choreographer to her play and had hugged her tightly when she had come in for her audition. When news of his return to her life first broke, gleeks from all around the country converged to New York City, eager to reconnect with the friend they had sadly seen off when they were younger.

She had felt his absence the strongest that day, seeing her glee jocks gathered, joking, laughing, singing, dancing. Sure, Finn was also gone, but they had been over for a long time when that had happened, and Finn's death had been a heartbreaking accident. It had been sad to say goodbye to Finn, watching as her mother despaired over having to plug her only child out of life support. But even then she had had his support, his strong arms around her, clinging to her as tightly as she to him.

Truth was, Noah was a part of her life for so long now that it hurt going through her first month as the lead of a groundbreaking new musical and not having him there, on the front row, applauding her and whistling the hardest when she took her bows at the end.

* * *

**F**or weeks now, Rachel's closest friends had been keeping a secret from her.

It had been started by Santana, of course (it was always Santana that kicked off those sorts of things). She had been the one to gather Jesse (without his gold-digging fiancée that hated Rachel), Kurt, Blaine, Artie (who was visiting) and Elliott in the apartment she and Dani shared. Kurt called Quinn, Blaine did the same to Jake, and both put them on speaker. Dani had Sam on Skype.

"Hanukkah is in six weeks, and I don't know you guys, but I wanna give Berry a kickass gift this year to celebrate her Broadway breakthrough," Santana said as she stretched on a couch, her head on Dani's lap and Dani's hands gently running through her thick locks.

Blaine looked confused at her for a moment. "Hum, Satan, you know Hanukkah lasts a week, right? You'd have to give Rachel **eight** gifts."

The former Cheerio rolled her eyes. "Or we'll just give her one hell of a gift instead of eight lousy little trinkets," she waved his comment off.

Kurt gasped, outraged, but before he could say anything (something like how the eight for-Rachel-only clothes he had put together were **not** lousy little trinkets!), Quinn's voice came, sounding static-like from the tinny speaker. "What do you suggest we give Rachel, San?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The Latina nearly purred as her girlfriend kept massaging his scalp.

"Santana, we don't have the power to give Rachel a Tony," Quinn said, gently.

"Or an Oscar," added Elliott.

"Or an Emmy or a Grammy," Blaine added.

Jesse, who had been quiet until that moment, had a sudden insight, and smirked slowly. "We can't give Rach those things, true," he said, leaning back against the plush armchair, "but there **is** something we can give her and make her one happy Broadway diva."

Jake, surprisingly, was the first to pick up. "You think you guys can pull that off?" He asked, his voice slightly doubtful.

With Jake's input, Blaine immediately knew what Santana wanted to do. "It'll be kind of hard-", he admitted, and Jake cut him.

"Hard?" He barked a humorless laugh. "That's an understatement, to say the least. It'll be near damn impossible."

"But if there's anyone who can pull impossible, other than Rachel, that is," Artie's voice sounded quiet, "that's Santana. I'm in. I don't know how I can be of any help, but I'm definitely in."

"Me too," Blaine added.

Elliott looked at them for a moment and then shrugged. "Oh, what the hell? So am I."

Jesse nodded, and Kurt looked confused around, hating to be the only one who was in the dark. "What the hell are you guys talking about?" He grouched, eyes flaring with annoyance.

Blaine shot his fiancé a tiny glance. "It's kind of obvious, isn't it?" When Kurt turned the full power of his blue glare on him, he sighed and then gave a tiny smile. "Santana wants to bring Puck back to the country."

"It's not only a **want**," the Latina corrected, smirking. "I **will** bring the _cabrón_ back to our little diva."

* * *

**W**hen Rachel woke up that morning, her psychic senses were tingling so intensely that for a second she grew concerned. For a very long time now they had been lying dormant, leaving her alone to handle life as a young adult. Now, all of a sudden, they kicked back on, in overdrive. Adding that to the fact that she had dreamed of Noah that night, it was enough to leave her an anxious mess.

Thankfully, it was the last night of Hanukkah and she had planned a small party to celebrate it. Santana and Kurt would come in while she was in the theater to decorate, Dani would work a little of her kitchen magic and whip up some latkes (apparently her grandfather from her father's side was Jewish and a mage with the pots and pans), and Blaine would be in charge of drinks. Sam was arriving at noon from his last tour for the European fashion weeks, while Quinn and Artie were taking the train as soon as her classes were over. Matt would accompany Rachel from the theater, and they'd be in charge of music.

She wasn't surprised to find her best friend by her counter, nearly bouncing in excitement. When it came to parties, Kurt was like a little boy, and it only increased when she allowed him to let loose with decoration (which was the reason for her rarely doing such a thing). With a hastily made pile of magazines in front of him, he waved distractedly over his shoulder at her as she went to the fridge, picking up a bottle of ice cold water to take with her to the theater. Seeing him busy with his phone and his magazines and his planning, Rachel let out a quiet chuckle and went to the door, picking up her bag and purse on the way. "See you later, Kurt," she called, smiling fondly. "Try not to turn my small party into this big bash, okay?"

"I make no promises," he airily shot back, and Rachel laughed, leaving right after.

As soon as the door slammed behind her, he turned to his iPhone and made a call. "Titania has left the kingdom. I repeat, Titania has left the kingdom. Is Oberon already on his way?"

At the other side of the line, Dani looked puzzled at Santana, who rolled her eyes. "You know he won't touch down until late in the afternoon. Can you stop with the code names?"

"No," Kurt replied, primly, grinning like a madman. "I can't wait to see her reaction!"

The Latina laughed. "I hope you're prepared to see them all but fuck themselves to oblivion in the middle of the room," she teased, and Dani giggled.

Kurt took a moment to consider this. And then, "Oh, what the Gucci. It's for a good cause."

* * *

**J**esse had to bite back a knowing grin every time he saw Rachel. She was so dear to him, so precious, probably the one person in his life that he would do anything for. She was a tiny ball of anxious energy that evening, giving all she had in her performance, and the look in her eyes was something he had seen before. "Hey, Rach," he said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, during intermission. "what's up with all the emotion tonight?"

Rachel flashed him an embarrassed but impish grin. "You know I'm psychic, right?" At his nod, she went on, "Well, my senses are all tingling today. I've been feeling this… this **presence**, I think, that has been making me give my best, 110%, all the time." She frowned, and looked up at him with concern in his eyes. "Does that make any sense?"

He nodded silently, and then seemed to hesitate for a moment. Truth was, he still loved Rachel. She was his one that got away and would always be. Sure, she was single when they had run into each other again after three years, but it didn't take long for Jesse to figure out she was in love with Puck. And Jesse honestly didn't have the heart to try and win over her love when it already belonged to someone else. He only felt relief that it was Puck that she loved now and not Finn. Since their attempt at dating during New Directions' first year, Puck had always treated Rachel with the care and the respect that she deserved.

After a long beat, during which they simply stood there watching the others run around them, Jesse finally made up his mind. He was engaged to Bailey, and he knew she hated Rachel. Bailey knew he loved Rachel in a way that he didn't love her, and because of that she hated his costar. Quickly looking around, he assured they were alone before pulling her to a slightly quieter corner.

"Jesse?" Rachel asked, stunned and confused, as he framed her face with his hands and looked intensely into her eyes. His whole behavior was starting to scare and worry her. "What's it?"

Jesse smiled and fought back the urge to cry. He had made his decision long ago, and now he had to really live with it. Puck was coming back, and Rachel would finally – **finally** – be happy. And in his eyes no one deserved happiness more than Rachel. "It's nothing, Rach," he whispered, and brushed softly his lips against her, a whisper of a kiss. "I love you, okay? Forever. You'll always be my one that got away."

"Oh, Jesse." Rachel's eyes burned with tears. She wasn't stupid. She knew Jesse loved her, and she knew he had kept himself from trying to date her again for the sake of his own heart. Now he was engaged to that… that **awful** Bailey, who clearly was only after his family's money. "I love you too," she whispered. "Just not… Not like **that**."

Jesse nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I know, baby. It's fine. I promise." He heard someone distantly calling the five minute mark to their return, and hastily wiped his eyes before taking her slim hand on his. "C'mon, let's just go back and have makeup fix us, okay?"

Rachel silently nodded, squeezing his hand in comfort and apology. He flashed a small smile, and together they made their way to where their makeup artist was dusting some face powder over one of their castmates. She spent the rest of intermission watching him, fully relaxing as she realized there was no pain in his eyes, just a calm, friendly acceptance. Maybe in another life they would have been together.

In this one, both were happy to just be friends.

* * *

**A**fter they were done with that evening's performance, Jesse and Matt waited for Rachel to clean herself up from all her theater makeup and change before backstage door. They could hear the commotion from the fans outside, anxiously waiting for their star to appear. Matt was in on the plan and every now and then he'd check his phone, clearly ready to put that show on the road. Jesse chuckled at his nervousness. "Relax, dude," he told his friend, who seemed embarrassed.

"I just want this over with," he explained. "Rachel has been hurting for far too long. I just want her to be happy."

"Don't we all?" Jesse replied quietly. "That's why we've come up with this. But you're being way too anxious over it. Rach's going to notice, and she'll ask, and I don't plan on being more untruthful to her than I've been so far."

"You're not being untruthful," Matt replied as he fixed his dancer bag on his shoulder. "You're not outright **lying** to her. You're just… Omitting facts from her."

"In other words, lying," Jesse replied, sighing.

"It's not lying!" Matt insisted, making a pause to gather his thoughts. His phone was vibrating on his pocket and he just **knew** it was Kurt having his latest fit. They had put together a Whatsapp group when the 'Puckleberry-Hanukkah-reunion' plan had begun, and in the last week Kurt had had more meltdowns in the group than he had had when they were at school. "It's just making sure her surprise isn't ruined."

Jesse watched Matt for a long moment. "You sure you're not a law graduate?" He joked, chuckling. "Because that argument sounded a lot like something a lawyer would say."

The choreographer grinned back. "My pop's a lawyer," he explained. "I spent weeks studying on his office back when I was at school, so I picked up a few things."

Before Jesse could reply, Rachel joined them. She was wearing a red knee-length dress in chiffon, with a v cut on the front, and a darker red leather belt on her waist. Over her dress she wore a thick, woolly burgundy coat, paired with a scarf in the same color. She had nude pumps on her feet, and her hair fell in sleek and soft waves down her back. She had scrubbed her face clean of the heavy theater makeup, but had applied a light coat of foundation, some concealer, a mocha brown eyeshadow, black mascara and eyeliner. Her face was naturally rosy from all the exertion, and her lips shimmered with the slight layer of sheer pink lipgloss she had applied.

All in all, she looked breathtaking, and both Jesse and Matt whistled appreciatively at her, to which she grinned at her. "Thank you, boys," she replied, smoothly sliding her arms to both Jesse's and Matt's offered ones. "Shall we?"

Grinning at their obviously happy friend, the two guys led them to the backstage door, and she gave them a brilliant grin as the muffled screams of the crowd for Rachel grew clearer and clearer.

"I think I'll never tire of listening to this," she told them, as the techie nodded at them and unlocked the door, allowing them to pass. "People screaming my name, wanting a moment of my time and attention… I'll never be big enough of a star that I'll forget this feeling."

Matt and Jesse grinned at her, and together the three of them left the theater. Polite, well-mannered gentlemen that they were, the guys allowed Rachel to have her moment to bask in the adoration of her fans, discretely signing photos and taking pictures. After half an hour of tending to the crowd (and several messages from Kurt, who was almost hyperventilating at their so-called lateness), they gently led her away, and Rachel linked her arms with theirs as they walked to the nearest subway stop that would take them to Rachel's neighborhood.

* * *

**W**hen Jesse and Matt didn't arrive with Rachel when they said they would, Kurt had a nervous breakdown and loudly threatened to tear apart Rachel's entire collection of Broadway memorabilia. Having shared an apartment with Rachel for his entire college life and aware of just how precious and rare some of her mementos were, Blaine promptly dragged his fiancé to their apartment, to ensure he would recompose himself. Sam, Artie, Quinn and her husband were talking quietly to each other by the stage ("it isn't a Rachel Berry party," Kurt had said as he and the others set the roof up for the party, "if there isn't a stage available!"). Dani and Santana were cuddling on a large couch while talking to Elliott, the Latina's legs draped over her girlfriend's lap.

And Puck?

Well, he was a nervous wreck.

(Fuck you.)

Having spent the last four years in Afghanistan fighting, he had completely lost his inspiration to write, a clear consequence of leading a life filled of sand, blood, pain and death. The one light in his day was when he had free time to think of the hot little Jewish-American princess he had left behind, someone he knew since they were both practically babies. Rachel was his only comfort, his only light, his only solace. They didn't write to each other much, but she was in his thoughts and he was sure he was in hers.

However, on a Wednesday six days ago, he had been skyping with Blaine when Santana promptly took over their conversation and sent him a video file. It was of Rachel in one of her rehearsals, clearly going over one of the songs in her musical for probably the thousandth time. She was sweaty, wearing pink ballet pants and a loose white tee. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail and her face was devoid of any makeup.

To him, she had never looked more beautiful. She hadn't ever sounded better either, and that video kicked his muse back alive.

For the last six months he had been going through his memories of her and writing a song. A country love song, different from anything he had ever written and/or sung before – and it was a happy country love song, something more fitting of a female singer than of a badass such as himself. No matter how hard he tried to write something else, something more fitting of his rep, his mind only managed to came up with line after line for his happy country love song.

Eventually he gave up on writing anything else and spent what little free time he had fine-tuning and editing his song. Once he deemed it perfect, he started working on the arrangement in a ukulele one of the boys in his division had managed to bring with him. Working in the ukulele wasn't the same as working with his old and beloved guitar, but it did the trick well enough.

Now he was back in the States, ready to sing his song to his Jewish-American princess, and hoping against all hope that she wouldn't find it unbearably corny.

Yes, he knew Rachel loved being serenaded and appreciated every and all kinds of music, but there was something awfully private about serenading her with a song he had personally written with her as his muse. He privately would have preferred to do it when alone with her, but there was no way in hell all the gleeks located in NYC would miss the moment he and Rachel reunited.

He was fiddling with Sam's guitar (his was safely guarded at his mother's house in Ohio, and he hadn't found the time to make the trip down there. Satan and her new Hell Princess Consort had stressed how important it was that no one that could tell Rachel he was back actually was made aware he was back, even his scared-and-worried-as-hell mother) when a nearly-vibrating-with-anticipation Kurt bolted in at the roof of their building, where they were having their party. "They're here!" He announced loudly. The conspirators grinned at each other, and, from behind his improvised curtain, Puck took a deep breath.

Showtime.

* * *

**S**he was surrounded by her friends, a flute of champagne in her hand and a smile on her face, when her psychic senses kicked in full gear, so intense it left her dizzy and slightly breathless for a moment. She discretely looked around, but nothing seemed out of place. There were no surprise guests, no last minute arrivals. Her roof seemed perfectly groomed for her party, and everyone was grinning at her with a euphoric kind of joy for her.

She decided to ignore her senses and focus at the present, when the soft and perky sound of a guitar being strummed came from the stage, and she turned to that direction, curiosity lighting up in her eyes as she shot a questioning glance at her friends.

Quinn grinned at her and made a zipping motion over her lips, silently signaling her to look at the stage. Her interest piqued, she obediently did what her friend said…

… and felt her heart race as a soft, familiar and missed voice began to ring clearly from behind the curtain.

**The full moon is shining like a spotlight**

**I could just sit and listen to you talking all night**

**When you whisper**

**Yeah, baby, when you lean in**

**I get a crazy, crazy good kind of feeling**

With more confidence than he actually felt, Puck appeared from behind the curtain, and his heart both raced and lurched inside his chest at his first look at Rachel in person after more than four years. Her hair was shorter and a little lighter, but she still looked like herself. And her eyes were looking at him with a sort of stunned and incredulous disbelief, as if she couldn't actually believe he was really there, in front of her, close enough for her to touch.

**It's like an amen from the back of the choir**

**The sweet hum of freedom underneath the tires**

**Kicked back sitting by a crackling fire**

**Strumming them guitar strings**

**Like an old song on the radio that you grew up to and everybody knows**

**Pushing through the water when the river rose, winding wild and free**

She blinked, and blinked, and then blinked again. Then, breaking free of her safe circle of friends, completely unaware to the way they all had their breaths held in, she slowly began to make the short way to the tiny stage where Noah, looking more handsome than ever in a simple white shirt, black jeans and a black leather jacket, was giving her his trademark cocky grin and singing a happy-go-lucky love song that she had never heard before.

**Baby, you sound good to me**

**Baby, you sound so good to me**

**Mmm-m-mmm, like a melody, baby, you sound good to me**

By the time he was done with the chorus of his song, Rachel had already made her way to his tiny stage, her eyes wide and disbelieving like a child on Christmas morning, and held out a clearly shaky hand to touch his face, as if fearing he would vanish the minute her fingers came in contact with his shaven cheek.

But he didn't vanish. No, instead of vanishing, he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. The warmth and firmness of his skin was enough to tear a sob out of Rachel's throat, and her eyes were brimming with tears when they locked with his. "Oh, Noah!" She breathed out, throwing herself in his arms.

Allowing Sam's guitar to gently slide to his back, he wrapped his arms firmly and tightly around her, and squeezed her body against his with all his might. She clung to him desperately, her tears drenching the soft cotton of his shirt. Closing his eyes, he buried his nose in the sleek fall of her hair, breathing in the sweet smell of her shampoo. "Happy Hanukkah, Rach," he whispered against her ear, pressing a gentle kiss to the tender spot behind her ear that he knew she loved to have kissed.

Rachel let out a watery chuckle and looked up at him, her cheeks wet with tears but a brilliant smile curling her tinted lips. "Happy Hanukkah, Noah," she whispered back, closing her eyes and breathing in his scent as he also closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers.

**the end**

**Author's Note: **So, here it is. Ash's Christmas gift, way late, but hey, I did deliver! I'm not sure about the ending and I couldn't help adding a teeny, **tiny** bit of St. Berry angst, mostly because I love them and I believe Jesse and Rachel will always be each other's one that got away. Please review!


	26. back to the beginning

**Author's Note: **Because it's me, and I always mix up Ash (gleek06216)'s birthday with my friend Carol's birthday (Ash's is Feb 16, Carol's is Feb 21), I was so sure I still had a week before I had to edit and post this. But then Carol, some of her friends and I started discussing birthdays, and she mentioned hers is on the 21st, so I kinda panicked and had to scrape the entire idea I had for Ash's birthday gift (it was gonna be long and angsty and have I said **long**?).

Also, because it's me, I lost my flashdrive on the day before Ash's bday and had given up on finding it again when my husband found it on the floor of our car while cleaning it to have it washed.

Anyways, this is for Ash's birthday. She asked for Puckleberry love with Changerman/Cherry friendships, and since I love Cherry, I'm all for it. Ash, happy (late) birthday, doll! I love you and I wish you all the happiness in the world because you deserves it!

**Disclaimer:** 'Glee' belongs to FOX and Ryan Murphy. The song belongs to Disney; it's from their latest animated masterpiece 'Frozen' (which has Jonathan Groff – my baby! - and Idina Menzel. Why wasn't Lea Michele cast as well?).

**tales of hot, talented Jews**

_**#26: **__back to the beginning (when we were children)_

**L**ima being the tiny dot of a city that it was, basically everyone knew everything about everyone else. It was common for friendships to be passed from generation to generation, young couples moving in neighborhoods and becoming friends with other young couples and such friendships passing on to their children, and grandchildren, and so on.

With the Puckermans, the Berry family and the Changs it wasn't different. Hiram Berry went to school with Anne Puckerman (née Klein) and Ken Chang, and the two Jewish kids, bullied by their peers, developed a close bond with the young Asian boy, victim of bullying because of his smarts and his dedication to his studies. Their closeness lasted through high school, then college, and only strengthened when they all returned to Ohio and settled down. Hiram was Ken's best man when he married Alyson Lee, with Anne as a bridesmaid. It was Ken who then introduced Anne to Nate Puckerman, a friend from college. And when Hiram Berry had a commitment ceremony with Leroy Powell, Anne and Ken stood as witnesses.

Surprisingly, all three friends had children of their own within months of each other. Anne and Nate welcomed baby son Noah Aaron first, in March, followed by Alyson and Ken's son Michael Alexander in July. Hiram and Leroy were the last, welcoming their little princess Rachel Barbara in December. The three children grew up together, so close that it was impossible to find one without the other two being right behind.

Of course, it all changed the day Nate Puckerman bailed for good on his wife of six years, his five-year-old son and his unborn daughter. Noah missed class that day, much to the concern of his best friends; and once they were dropped off by the bus on the corner of their street, Mike and Rachel raced to the front door of the Puckerman house. "Do you think he's sick?" Rachel anxiously asked as they ran as fast as their little legs carried them.

"I dunno, B," Mike replied, a concerned frown marring his tiny forehead. "He was fine yesterday, we played catch. We all hung out together, remember?"

Rachel nodded, recalling how she played with her pink bejeweled toy microphone, singing to the boys while they played their game. Still, she couldn't help but feel something was terribly wrong with someone in Noah's house: he rarely missed school, Mrs. Puckerman was too strict on him having the best education available to allow him to lose a day of classes unless he was seriously ill.

Finally the duo reached the front yard of the Puckerman residence. Nana Connie, Anne's mother-in-law, was sitting on a bench in the yard, Anne by her side, with her face hidden in her hands. The two children looked scared at each other before racing up towards them. "Is there anything wrong, Mrs. Puckerman?" Rachel asked timidly, putting her little hand on Anne's knee. She then added politely, "Good afternoon, Nana Connie."

Nana Connie smiled weakly at the two children in front of them. "Good afternoon, Rachel. Michael," she added. "Are you looking for Noah?" She squeezed her daughter-in-law's hand and stood up, leading the kids away into the house. Rachel looked uneasily at Anne before reluctantly following Mike and Connie in.

"He wasn't at school," Mike replied, his dark eyes sparkling with childish concern. "And we had take your favorite toy to school day today and he never misses that!"

"Really?" Connie asked, looking interested. "Well, Noah was a little under the weather today, so we called him in sick. He's in his room, and I'm sure he'll be very happy to see you two." She gently pushed Mike and Rachel by their shoulders towards the staircase. "Don't forget to knock before you enter," she told them lightly, and the two kiddies grinned toothlessly at her before skipping up the stairs.

Rachel and Mike stood shoulder by shoulder in front of Noah's closed door, and the little boy looked at Rachel. "Ready?" He whispered. She nodded and together they took a deep breath, knocking loudly at the wooden door.

"Go away!" Noah yelled from inside. His voice was rough and thick, and Rachel felt a spike of fear.

"Noah?" She shyly called out. "It's us. Rachel and Mikey. Can we come in?"

There was silence for a moment, before the door clicked open. Rachel lit up, and Mike grinned, and together the two of them pushed in, Mike carefully closing the door behind them and Rachel hopping in Noah's bed. His eyes were puffy and red, and his nose runny. A clearly concerned Rachel placed her tiny hand on his forehead and then his cheeks, like her daddies did to her when she was sick. "Are you feeling fine, Noah?"

Noah leaned in her touch for a moment before his mind yelled at him that girls had cooties, even if Nana Connie had given Rachel a cootie shot just the other day. He then puffed up his little chest. "Yeah, I'm fine," he lied, rolling his eyes. "You're still safe with your cootie shot, right?" He asked Rachel.

She glared at him. "Don't be silly, Noah. Of course I am!"

"Your mommy is crying downstairs," Mike quickly cut in. He always had to play peacemaker with Noah and Rachel. "Is everything okay?" He frowned quickly. "It's not the baby, is it?"

"The baby's fine. Dad left today on a gig," Noah replied. "She's just sad because he promised he was not going to until the baby was born."

"You're sure you're fine?" Rachel asked. When Noah rolled his eyes and nodded, she brightened up. "Can you come over to play then? Daddy bought the new Disney movie!"

Noah lit up immediately. "The Tigger Movie?"

Rachel nodded vigorously, her dark pigtails bobbing along. "Yeah! And he said we can have pizza for dinner! Dad is gonna make it!"

Noah's stomach grumbled and he licked his lips. Mr. Berry's pizza was better than the pizzas from their favorite pizza place, and more often than not he let him, Mike and Rachel help adding the toppings. "I'm in," he announced clearly, shoving off the blankets and hopping out of the bed. "Let's just tell mama and Nana Connie."

"Yay!" Mike and Rachel cheered in unison, and the three children ran out together, playing and laughing. But before they could run off to Rachel's house, Connie stepped up and put a gentle, but firm hand on Noah's shoulder.

"Where are you going, _bubbala_?"

"To Rach's house," he said excitedly. "We're gonna see a movie and eat pizza!"

Anne and Connie looked at each other, and when Anne nodded unstably, Connie turned to her grandson. "I'm sorry, Noah, but not today, alright? Your mom and I have to talk to you." The older lady turned to her grandson's friends. "Your daddy called, Rachel. He asked me to tell you to go home. So did your mother, Michael."

The three children looked at each other, confusion clear at their young faces, and Noah opened up his mouth to whine and complain, but a firm look from Connie quieted him. He unhappily turned to Rachel, and grumbled, "Sorry, Rae. Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Rachel nodded firmly before pressing a sloppy kiss to her cheek. She then ran to Anne, hugging her tightly. "It's gonna be fine, Mrs. Puckerman!"

Anne gave the little girl a wet smile, and then Rachel and Mike said 'bye' in unison before racing away to their homes. Noah turned to his mother, an angry scowl on his face. "What's going on?"

Connie sighed. "Noah, sweetie, we have to talk."

The next morning, Rachel didn't even wait for Mike to arrive before walking up to the Puckerman residence. Happily skipping up the driveway, she politely pressed the doorbell and waited for someone to come answer the door, her hand holding tightly to the movie case. It was Connie who appeared when the door opened, and the tiny girl smiled brightly up at her. "Good morning, Nana Connie! I brought the movie for me and Mikey to watch with Noah!"

Connie looked around, frowning playfully. "Michael? Where is he?"

"He's on his way. Is Noah awake?" Rachel replied.

The older lady hesitated. "Yes, he is, but I don't think-"

"Nana, who is it?" Noah said gruffly from the inside, and Connie's heart clenched and melted at the light that appeared in Rachel's face by listening to his voice. Her grandson appeared behind her, and if possible his scowl grew deeper when he saw Rachel. "Ah, it's you," he said frostily, and Connie frowned.

Rachel, however, didn't seem to notice Noah's coldness and smiled happily at him. "Hi, Noah! I brought the movie for us to see – you, me and Mikey!" She waved the movie case at him.

"I don't wanna. Go away," Noah replied, and Rachel blinked, confused.

"Noah? What's going on?"

"Nothing. I just don't wanna be friends with you anymore," he replied, and the little girl gaped at him.

"W-what?" She stammered. "W-why?" Confusion was giving way to hurt in her expressive face, and Noah clenched his fists and his jaw against the onset of regret he felt at seeing Rachel hurt.

"I just don't wanna! Leave me alone!" He yelled, pushing her away. Caught by surprise, Rachel lost her balance and fell, crying out in shock as her skin came in touch with the hard, cool cement.

"Rachel!" Mike yelled, racing up towards her, eyes wide and angry as they focused on Noah.

"Noah!" Connie reprimanded, her face hard. "Apologize! Now!"

"No!" Noah yelled again, storming back in. "Leave me alone!"

Blinking in stunned disbelief as shocked tears filled her eyes, Rachel flinched when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Mike's concerned face looking at her, anxiously trying to see if she was hurt. "Are you okay?" He whispered, as Connie went back in and came back with a first aid kit. Looking down at her, he saw the nasty scrape on her knee and widened his eyes. "Wow, you're bleeding! That's so cool!"

Connie crouched down next to Rachel, her voice soothing. "Don't worry, sweetheart. It's just a bruise. You're gonna be fine." As the older lady cleaned and taped her injury, Rachel began to cry softly, Michael's hand firm between hers. Somehow, she felt nothing would be the same again.

**Do you wanna build a snowman?**

**Come on, let's go and play**

**I barely see you anymore**

**Come out the door**

**It's like you've gone away**

**We used to be best buddies, and now we're not**

**I wish you'd tell me why**

**Do you wanna build a snowman?**

**It doesn't have to be a snowman**

_Go away, Anna!_

**Okay, bye...**


End file.
